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Crying in H Mart


Lyrical and honest, Zauner's voice is as radiantly alive on the page as it is ...
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How does the narrative structure reflect Michelle's reconciliation of her mother's memory, and what do you think of her emotional journey by the end of the book?

Created: 03/03/22

Replies: 6

Posted Mar. 03, 2022 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
davinamw

Join Date: 10/15/10

Posts: 3442

How does the narrative structure reflect Michelle's reconciliation of her mother's memory, and what do you think of her emotional journey by the end of the book?

The narrative structure of Crying in H Mart jumps between the past and the present, skipping across time with various anecdotes. How does this reflect Michelle's reconciliation of her mother's memory, and what do you think of her emotional journey by the end of the book?


Posted Mar. 04, 2022 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
ScribblingScribe

Join Date: 02/29/16

Posts: 189

RE: How does the narrative structure ...

We are all the result of our memories and experiences. But memories aren't linear. They don't flow out in chronological order. We remember things randomly and when sparked by something--a smell, a sight, a feeling. I loved the way she wove her past and present together to build the relationship she had with her mother and her experience of loss. It made the story feel more real and personal.


Posted Mar. 04, 2022 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
crk

Join Date: 03/02/22

Posts: 23

RE: How does the narrative structure ...

I like ScribblingScribe's response. For a while the out of sequence recall was a bit difficult to get into, kind of like getting to know how a friend thinks. But as I read on and settled into the idea of how as SS says 'we remember things randomly,' the flow seemed quite natural. Well the entire emotional journey and her personal growth are quietly huge. So so much work and tears. What a shining investment in self.


Posted Mar. 04, 2022 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
dorinned

Join Date: 10/13/14

Posts: 176

RE: How does the narrative structure ...

The narrative structure built on the reader's emotions as Michelle related her personal journey through life with her mother, through the good times and the bad, through health and illness, through all the things that make a life and a family.


Posted Mar. 06, 2022 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
Elizabeth

Join Date: 07/10/19

Posts: 54

RE: How does the narrative structure ...

I can't help but wonder if she is still making the journey now. I also find it hard to understand what happened to her relationship with her father as he is not even mentioned in the acknowledgements. I would think that would help her heal and help her maintain her connection to her mother as well. After all, her father knew her mother much longer and differently than Michelle knew her.


Posted Mar. 12, 2022 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
marks

Join Date: 02/25/19

Posts: 112

RE: How does the narrative structure ...

I, too, agree with Scribbling Scribe's comment. I actually enjoy books that aren't so linear; it's like doing a puzzle. That is probably one of the reasons I enjoy Catch-22 so much. Letting themes and emotions be the readers' guide instead of chapter numbers is a brilliant way to tell a story.


Posted Mar. 13, 2022 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
kb2021

Join Date: 01/16/21

Posts: 9

RE: How does the narrative structure ...

Susan Wise Bauer, the The Well-Educated Mind, writes that the autobiographer (or memoirist), "chooses a meaning for his [or her] life and arranges the events of his [or her] life to reflect this meaning." I thought that many of the events Zauner chose reflected not only her relationship and grief over losing her mother, but her search and struggle with her identity.


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