We met this month to discuss Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner.
In this contemporary memoir Michelle, the only daughter of a Korean tiger mother and a mostly absent white American father, describes a very proscribed, claustrophobic upbringing in Eugene Oregon.
As a ‘mixed race’ girl, Michelle wants to blend in but her mother is very exacting about how her daughter should behave, what she should wear, who she should socialise with. There are typical generational tensions plus cultural expectations and Michelle wants a creative career. Where mother and daughter meet is over food – Michelle impressed and delighted her mother by being adventurous with Korean ingredients, flavours, taste combinations and appetite.
When her mother is diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer, Michelle – at 25 yo – returns to the family home to care for her and the story shifts to an explicit exploration of the dynamics of families, negotiating the health system, the effects of chemo, how to express care and love, how to anticipate and process grief and loss.
As you can see from the ratings below, there was a wide range of reactions from members of the bookclub. Many of us were surprised how much we enjoyed it. We liked the writing style and the author’s exploration of being a child of two cultures and how when her mother dies, Michelle expresses the loss of her cultural and family history. It was ‘raw’, ‘heartfelt’, ‘complex’, ‘repetitive’, ‘brutal’, ‘cruel’. Our strongest reactions – love and hate – were over the detailed descriptions of the food – ‘boring’, ‘nauseating’, ‘mouth-watering’, ‘inspiring’. Some of us researched further and checked out youtube videos of the Korean chef, Michelle’s music and her Vogue photoshoot. The audiobook was read by the author in a tedious, monotonous voice and some of us don’t like memoirs.
Ratings: Liana, Sue 4; Kim, Dianne F, Hetta, Melinda, Janet, Cheryl 3.5; Pauline, Viv, Jo, Nicola 3; Sandy 2.5, Margie, Lynda 1.
We welcome 3 new members – thanks for coming along and participating in our robust discussions.
We look forward to seeing you again at our next meeting 6:30pm on Tuesday 11th April at QCWA Mermaid Beach Centre located in 43 Ventura Rd, Mermaid Beach, when we’ll talk about Act of Grace by Anna Krien. Hope to see you there and Happy Reading!
The 2023 Reading List can be found in the sidebar, or below if you’re on your mobile device.
About Us
We are a group that gets together once a month to discuss good books. Each of us gets to choose a book on a rotational basis, preferably one outside our personal comfort zone – we try to keep the trash to ourselves. After the discussion, we comment on other books we read that month. Most of the time we remain friends after the meeting.
We normally meet at the QCWA Mermaid Centre at 43 Ventura Rd Mermaid Beach on the second Tuesday of every month from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
A small contribution is required towards the rent of the room, but not if you are a first timer. The amount depends on the number of people attending.
One book title is chosen each month and we all read that book. There is a ‘host’ who introduces and co-ordinates the discussion. The role of host is rotated around the group so that each member has the opportunity to nominate their book (it could also be an author, theme or genre). The host also acts as chairperson for that meeting.
Although we are not a social club (we are readers), we occasionally attend literary events, relevant movies or plays here at the Gold Coast, Brisbane or Byron Bay. We conform to basic meeting practices and everyone has an equal opportunity to express their opinion. Everyone’s interpretation is valid, as long as it’s expressed respectfully.
We welcome any new members who share our aims and are happy to contribute to our group. Newcomers are not required to have read the book to attend the first meeting and no contribution is required from them at the first meeting attended.
Feel free to have a look at our Booklist 2023 and Newsletters in the sidebar. If you are reading this blog in a mobile device find the menu at the bottom of the page.
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Gold Coast Book Lovers 