First published 2024
Baek Se-Hee's protagonist, a young woman in Seoul, is consumed by a desire to end her life. But even as she plans her suicide, she remains powerfully drawn to the allure of tteokbokki, the spicy rice cakes that are a beloved Korean street food. As she wrestles with this internal conflict, she must also navigate the expectations of her family and society, who are unaware of her private turmoil. With biting humor and raw honesty, this novel offers a candid exploration of mental health, the power of small pleasures, and the complexities of the human experience.
Genres: fiction, contemporary, 21st-century, asian-american
Vibes: intimate, raw, thought-provoking
Tropes: complex-emotions, internal-conflict
Setting: Seoul
Period: 21st-century
224 pages · Hardcover · Bloomsbury Publishing
Content warnings: suicidal-ideation, suicide