Food, drama, guilt, cross-cultural and cross-generational gaps – there is a lot to digest here. This book is a good example of writing as therapy. The author went through some serious challenges in their life, and I think by writing this book they’ll be able to move on.
The author gets it all out there – not only the delicious foods and happy times, she doesn’t shy away from the ugly scenes. She is dealing with her mother’s premature death, in front of the reader, with herself laid bare.
But I didn’t come for the drama, I came for the food, and there is a lot of good writing, especially about Korean food. She does a great job describing the dishes that they eat, with the Korean name so that you can do your own research on finding it in a restaurant or making it yourself. There are other foods in here besides Korean – but I got the most out of the Korean ones.
We eat a lot of Korean food at home and out at restaurants, but I find that I know the Japanese name for the dishes rather than the Korean one, so this book helped to clarify certain things for me.
The writing is done in a clean writing style that is easy to read, and focuses on giving a clear view of what is happening, rather than being floral or poetic. I wasn’t a big fan of the structure, being non-linear and sometimes a little confusing. But it is a relatively short book and worth the effort to follow.
Next I am reading How to Tell a Story by Meg Bowles et al.
