Why we’re excited
After her mother's death, Michelle Zauner spent a year in Seoul learning Korean, partly so she could read the diary her mother left behind. The memoir follows that year: a punishing language school, a strained marriage, time with her aunt and the slow work of getting close to her mother's side of the family.
Crying in H Mart was a huge bestseller, and Zauner is also the musician behind Japanese Breakfast. This book picks up the same story, so read the first one beforehand. Anyone who has struggled with a parent's language, or with grief that will not settle, should look for it.
On our most-anticipated list since 21 October 2026. See all the most anticipated books →
What to know about Thank You For Your Suffering
Michelle Zauner is new to The Bookish Elf: none of their books has a review here yet.
From the publisher
From the bestselling author of Crying in H Mart, a moving, funny, unforgettable new memoir about Michelle Zauner’s year in South Korea, learning Korean in an impossibly challenging language school and forging extraordinary new relationships with her mother’s family: the emotional continuation of a mother-daughter story that has captivated the world.
Michelle Zauner’s delectable new memoir takes the reader on an immersive and deeply personal journey through the heart of South Korea, and charts Zauner’s dream of learning her mother’s native language in hopes of being able to read the diary she left behind, and to connect with her family in Seoul. From the beginning, her adventure is beset by difficulties, from the quirky apartment she rents with Peter, her husband and bandmate, to the punishing language school that leaves her in tears. Korean does not come easily to her, even as she fights stubbornly to master it, and the difficulty of living in a foreign city places unexpected new pressures on her marriage. But there are also profound new pleasures and triumphs during her year abroad: making Korean friends, exploring Seoul’s alternative underground, spending precious time with her mother’s sister, performing songs in a new language. Zauner’s voice is fierce and emotional, her prose more precise and assured than ever, and her honesty is mesmerizing, as she shares her failures and her victories with unwavering candor. Fans of Crying in H Mart will recognize her intelligence and heart on every page.
Description supplied by the publisher.
We haven’t read Thank You For Your Suffering yet. When our review goes up, it will replace this page.
