Crying in H Mart

Crying in H Mart: A Memoir is a 2021 memoir by Michelle Zauner, singer and guitarist of the musical project Japanese Breakfast. It is her debut book, published on April 20, 2021, by Alfred A. Knopf.[1][2] It is an expansion of Zauner's essay of the same name which was published in The New Yorker on August 20, 2018.[3][4] The title mentions H Mart, a North-American supermarket chain that specializes in Korean and Asian products.[5]

Crying in H Mart: A Memoir
First edition cover
AuthorMichelle Zauner
Audio read byMichelle Zauner
Cover artistNa Kim
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
SubjectMemoir
PublisherAlfred A. Knopf
Publication date
April 20, 2021
Media typePrint (hardcover and paperback), e-book, audiobook
Pages256
ISBN978-0-525-65774-3 (First edition hardcover)
OCLC1162194386
782.42166092 B
LC ClassML420.Z3913 A3 2021

The memoir received critical acclaim and became a major bestseller.[6][7]

Background

After Zauner's mother Chongmi died of pancreatic cancer in October 2014, Zauner frequently made trips to H Mart, an experience she chronicled in her New Yorker essay and in "Real Life: Love, Loss and Kimchi" which won Glamour Magazine's 11th essay contest.[8]

Zauner has said that she decided to write a book-length memoir after literary agents contacted her following the publication of her New Yorker essay.[9] In February 2019, American publishing house Alfred A. Knopf announced that it had won the rights to the book at auction.[10]

Summary

The book begins with the titular essay in which Zauner talks about buying ingredients for Korean cuisine at H Mart. Zauner reminisces about her mother, Chongmi, calling her strict but loving. Zauner writes that she wanted more family approval yet frequently disobeyed her parents and was considered rebellious.

Every two years, Zauner and Chongmi travel to Seoul to visit their family. When Zauner is 14, her maternal grandmother dies, leaving Zauner haunted by her last words.

During high school, Zauner falls into depression, resulting in truancy. Chongmi allows her to sleep once a week at her best friend's house, where she begins to admire her friend's mother, engendering Chongmi's jealousy and straining their relationship. Zauner is inspired to learn guitar after watching a DVD of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Karen O, who is also of Korean American heritage. Zauner begins to write songs and perform in public, including opening for Maria Taylor at the W.O.W. Hall. Zauner applies to liberal arts universities for women and attends Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania, to Chongmi's disappointment.

In 2014, Zauner graduated college with a creative writing degree and leads a band named Little Big League. However, the band struggles to find commercial success. That summer, Zauner learns that Chongmi has cancer and flies to Eugene to care for her. Soon after Chongmi returns home, her friend Kye arrives and begins to take care of her.

In August, Zauner returns to Philadelphia to tour with Little Big League. After the tour, her father Joel reveals that Chongmi's condition is worsening. The three fly to Seoul as per Chongmi's wishes but she is hospitalized upon arrival. After Chongmi recovers, Zauner and Joel transfer her to Riverbend Hospital in Eugene.

Wanting her mother to attend her wedding, Zauner proposes marriage to her boyfriend Peter, who accepts. Soon after, Zauner and Peter get married with their families and friends attending. After the wedding, Kye leaves after being irritated by Joel. Soon after, Chongmi's condition declines drastically and she dies on October 18, 2014. Joel, Zauner, and Peter host a funeral the next week. Joel and Zauner fly to Vietnam, hoping to soothe their grief but the trip only strains their relationship.

After moving to Brooklyn with Peter, Zauner begins learning to cook Korean cuisine and records music to cope with her grief. She begins working at an advertising firm in New York City, deciding that she will soon quit recording music due to her lack of success.

Zauner submits an album to Yellow K Records as Japanese Breakfast, titling it Psychopomp. Its reception exceeds Zauner's expectations and Japanese Breakfast signs with the record label Dead Oceans. The band tours to promote the album and Zauner quits her advertising job.

During the band's last tour date in Asia, Zauner's maternal aunt Nami and her husband, whom Zauner nicknamed "Boo", are in attendance. After the concert ends, Zauner and Peter spend time with Nami and Boo. On the night before they depart, Zauner and Peter accompany Nami and Boo to a karaoke bar where Nami asks Zauner to sing "Coffee Hanjan". As the lyrics begin, Zauner hopes that her heritage will help her sing the words.

Reception

Sales

According to Publishers Weekly and The Wall Street Journal, which use data from NPD BookScan, Crying in H Mart debuted as the seventh best-selling hardcover nonfiction book for the week ending April 24, 2021.[11][12] The book debuted at number two on The New York Times best-seller list for combined print and e-book nonfiction for the week ending April 24, 2021.[13][14] As of April 2023, the book has spent 55 weeks on the Times's list,[7] and 67 weeks on their hardcover nonfiction best-seller list.[15] A paperback edition was published by Vintage Books on March 28, 2023,[16][17] after which the book topped the Times's paperback nonfiction category for the week ending April 8, 2023.[18]

Critical response

The book has 30 "rave" reviews and five "positive" reviews, according to review aggregator website Book Marks.[6]

Publishers Weekly wrote, "The prose is lyrical if at times overwrought, but Zauner does a good job capturing the grief of losing a parent with pathos."[19]

Kristen Martin of NPR called the book a "rare acknowledgement of the ravages of cancer in a culture obsessed with seeing it as an enemy that can be battled with hope and strength."[20]

In The Atlantic, food writer Mayukh Sen wrote, "As lovely as Zauner's indulgent sketches of meals are, they slow her momentum...But agile writers know how to mine food for emotional truth, and Zauner finds her footing as Crying in H Mart progresses. Near the end, she connects food to her own unmooring."[21]

The book received the 2021 Goodreads Choice Award for Memoir & Autobiography.[22] It was also named a top book of the year by numerous publications, including Time, The Atlantic and Entertainment Weekly.[23][24][25]

Film adaptation

On June 7, 2021, it was announced that Crying in H Mart: A Memoir would be adapted as a feature film by Orion Pictures. Zauner will adapt the film and provide the film's soundtrack, as Japanese Breakfast.[26] In May 2022, Zauner announced that she had finished the first draft of the screenplay.[27]

Will Sharpe was announced as the director of the film adaptation in March 2023.[28]

References
  1. "Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner: 9780525657743". Penguin Random House. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
  2. "21 of the most anticipated new books to read this April". CNN. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  3. "Crying in H Mart: A Memoir by Michelle Zauner". Kirkus Reviews. January 30, 2021. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  4. Rettig, James (August 20, 2018). "Japanese Breakfast's Michelle Zauner Has An Essay In The New Yorker". Stereogum. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  5. Tarng, Tammy (April 17, 2021). "When Her Mother Died, She Found Solace at a Korean Grocery". The New York Times. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
  6. "Book Marks reviews of Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner". Book Marks. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
  7. "Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction - Best Sellers - Books". The New York Times. April 23, 2023. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  8. Roff, Connie (March 3, 2022). "Michelle Zauner on her bestselling memoir of mother-daughter love and grief". Pan MacMillan. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
  9. Moreland, Quinn (2021-03-08). "Japanese Breakfast Is Working the Pain Away". Pitchfork. Condé Nast. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
  10. "JAPANESE BREAKFAST'S MICHELLE ZAUNER SIGNS BOOK DEAL FOR MEMOIR WITH KNOPF". Music News Net. February 28, 2019. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
  11. Juris, Carolyn (April 30, 2021). "This Week's Bestsellers: May 3, 2021". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  12. "Bestselling Books Week Ended April 24". The Wall Street Journal. April 29, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  13. "Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction - Best Sellers". The New York Times. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  14. Arnone, Joey. "Japanese Breakfast's "Crying in H Mart" Debuts at No. 2 on The New York Times' Best Sellers List". Under the Radar. Retrieved 2022-07-08.
  15. "Hardcover Nonfiction Books - Best Sellers - Books". The New York Times. April 9, 2023. Archived from the original on April 19, 2023. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  16. Kicherer, Michelle (March 28, 2023). "Two Years After Its Publication, Michelle Zauner's "Crying in H Mart" Continues to Resonate". Willamette Week. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  17. Macdonald, Moira (March 27, 2023). "Moira Macdonald on new paperback books to read this April". The Seattle Times. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  18. "Paperback Nonfiction Books - Best Sellers - Books". New York Times. 2023-04-23. Archived from the original on 2023-04-19. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
  19. "Nonfiction Book Review: Crying in H-Mart: A Memoir by Michelle Zauner". Publishers Weekly. December 15, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
  20. "A Daughter Grieves Her Mom, And Finds Herself, In 'Crying In H Mart'". NPR. April 20, 2021. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
  21. Sen, Mayukh (April 21, 2021). "What Grief Tastes Like". The Atlantic. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
  22. "Announcing the Winners of the 2021 Goodreads Choice Awards!". Goodreads. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  23. Gutterman, Annabel (December 8, 2021). "The 10 Best Nonfiction Books of 2021". Time. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  24. "THE 20 BEST BOOKS OF 2021". The Atlantic. December 22, 2021. Archived from the original on December 22, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  25. Greenblatt, Leah; Rankin, Seija (December 9, 2021). "The 10 best books of 2021". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  26. Galuppo, Mia (June 7, 2021). "'Crying in H Mart' Set for Feature Adaptation at MGM's Orion Pictures (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
  27. Rowley, Glenn (March 10, 2022). "Michelle Zauner Shares Update on Crying in H Mart Movie: Exclusive". Consequence. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  28. McArdle, Tommy (20 March 2023). "'The White Lotus' ' Will Sharpe to Direct 'Crying in H Mart' Film Adaptation: It Felt Very Familiar to Me'". People Magazine. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
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