Crying in H Mart
Michelle Zauner's memoir about losing her Korean mother to cancer, rebuilding her identity through food and music, and learning what it means to be Korean American.
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What you might want to know about Crying in H Mart
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
In her thirties, indie musician Michelle Zauner watches her Korean immigrant mother die of cancer and starts cooking the foods of her childhood. The memoir is the long process of finding her mother in those dishes.
Yes. Crying in H Mart is Michelle Zauner's 2021 memoir about her Korean-American identity, her relationship with her mother, and her mother's death from cancer. Zauner is also the singer-songwriter behind the indie band Japanese Breakfast.
Yes. Stacey Sher and the producers behind Erin Brockovich are developing a film adaptation. Michelle Zauner is involved and has been writing music for the project. As of 2025, no release date has been confirmed.
Crying in H Mart was written by Michelle Zauner, published in 2021 by Knopf.
Crying in H Mart is 256 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Crying in H Mart takes most readers 4 to 6 hours to finish.
Crying in H Mart is a standalone novel by Michelle Zauner, not part of a series.
Crying in H Mart is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.