“It exists in time and transforms. So it is not quite controlled death, because it enjoys a new life altogether. The memories I had stored, I could not let fester. Could not let trauma infiltrate and spread, to spoil and render them useless. They were moments to be tended. The culture we shared was active, effervescent in my gut and in my genes, and I had to seize it, foster it so it did not die in me. So that I could pass it on someday. The lessons she imparted, the proof of her life lived on in me, in my my every move and deed. I was what she left behind. If I could not be with my mother, I would be her.”

this book was amazing. michelle zauner’s language and prose is absolutely stunning and the way she narrates her story is so compelling yet so tragic and sad. the whole book is very heavy and depressing but i still loved it because it felt so personal and was written so well. i also love how there was lots of talk and description about food and cooking. that was really relatable for me because my family and i are all huge foodies and a lot of the time the way my parents show love is by cooking for us (my sister and i). i really enjoyed reading about her experiences with that and her complicated relationship with her mother and the rest of her family. over all this book is a deeply heartfelt and descriptive memoir that i would really recommend.