[tps_title]1. Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson[/tps_title]

For mothers who love a good literary fiction novel, filled with suspense and family history. The novel centres around Byron and Benny who are reunited at their estranged mother’s funeral. When she leaves them a lengthy voice recording, it becomes clear that the history of their family is built upon a wealth of secrets.

In the novel both Byron and Benny grapple to establish an understanding of the woman they knew.

For mothers in need of a good book to curl up to, this is the one – we haven’t yet heard of anyone who hated this.

The post 10 Books to Give for Mothers Day in 2022 appeared first on off the record.

[tps_title] 10. Manifesto by Bernadine Evaristo [/tps_title]

Bernardine Evaristo’s 2019 Booker win – the first by a Black woman – was a revolutionary moment both for British culture and for her. After three decades as a trailblazing writer, teacher and activist, she moved from the margins to centre stage, taking her place in the spotlight at last. Her journey was a long one, but she made it, and she made history.
This is a unique book about staying true to yourself and to your vision. It’s about how to be unstoppable – in your craft, your work, your life. It is Bernardine Evaristo’s manifesto for never giving up.

Pick up a copy here.

The post The 10 Best Memoirs of 2021 appeared first on off the record.

Michelle Zauner’s 2021 memoir Crying in H Mart was written following the publication of her viral New Yorker essay. In the essay, Zauner explored her grief and heritage, showing what she had learned from her mother, both emotionally and in the kitchen. Zauner found herself regularly taking pilgrimages to H Mart, looking at her cultural and culinary heritage and it is in H Mart that the memoir is rooted. ‘In the H Mart food court, I find myself again, searching for the first chapter of the story that I want to tell about my mother.’ This is more than just a memoir about grief, its an exploration of self and discovering Zauner’s own identity, both as the child of immigrants and finding her place and purpose in America as the front woman of the band Japanese Breakfast.

Zauner tenderly portrays her mother’s death, delicately unveiling the layers of the story and her deterioration during chemotherapy, in a way that allows room to explore the complications of the relationship both between Zauner and her mother and father. Upon this backdrop, food is the vehicle for much of the novel, laying out a love of Korean food that is rich and deep, from barchan to pine-nut porridge. 

Above all, Crying in H Mart is a story that explores the nuances of familial relationships, heritage and loss – a tender novel that will help anyone in times of loss or being lost.

The post Why You Should Read Crying in H Mart If You’re Feeling A Little Lost Right Now appeared first on off the record.