Review: I Want to Die But I Want to Eat Tteokbokki

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Hello bookish friends! I’m back with a review for a book that I was soo looking forward to reading when my NetGalley request was approved: I Want to Die But I Want to Eat Tteokbokki by Baek Se-hee. Did I request the book specifically for the title? Possibly. That’s unconfirmed.

PLOT

Marketed as a self-help therapy memoir, this book follows the author, Baek, through 12 weeks of therapy as she tries to uncover the cause of her depressive mood, anxiety, and feelings of hopelessnesses.

NO-SPOILER REVIEW

I really wanted to like this book so much. I’m basically primed to love most memoirs, especially when they involved mental health issues. The formatting and style of this one just didn’t work for me. Almost the entirety of the book is straight up transcripts from the author’s therapy sessions. Not a direct quote from the book, but to give you an idea, nearly every page looks like this:

Psychiatrist: Did you think about what we discussed before?

Me: Yes, I did, but I still don’t know what to do exactly.

Psychiatrist: Well, have you thought of the various outcomes of each decision?

Me: Yes, I have, but… (two paragraphs about a very specific decision making process the author thought through)

I’m so proud of this journey to recovery that Baek went on, but it’s just not compelling to read someone else’s rather mundane therapy session transcripts. It’s not that readers won’t be able to relate to some of the things Baek is going through, but I don’t find this book to be a memoir nor a self-help book somehow.

It doesn’t have enough self-reflection or closure to qualify as a memoir for me, but someone else’s personalized therapy is not fitting as a self-help process for the general public. It’s specific to one person, and if I’m being quite frank, I don’t think the therapist did the best job of identifying what was going on with Baek.

My remaining hope is that some people will read this book and it will destigmatize therapy for them so they can seek personalized help for themselves. As far as this book working as a memoir or self-help book — neither for me, unfortunately.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

August Hopefuls TBR List

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Hi readers! It has been a while since we’ve had a monthly TBR list, but I’m almost done working through my ARC book list and if I can finish these books this month, I can start requesting again!! The first two are book club reads so that are must reads for me. The last three are the advanced reader books I still need to read. 🙂

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

One of my book club reads for the month. I haven’t read very much nonfiction this year so I’m looking forward to this one. In fact, I started listening to the audiobook last night and the author’s narration is superb so far!

Drawing Down the Moon by Margot Adler

Second book club read of the month! My library hold on this also came through overnight so yay for witchy things. This book is older and I’m hoping it has held up well through the years, but expecting to need to show some leniency there.

We Spread by Iain Reid

This is my second book by Reid, the first being “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” which I quite enjoyed. The book is about an elderly painter who slowly starts losing grip on time and becomes suspicious of long-term care residence where she’s staying. Not sure what to expect, but excited to find out!

I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki by Baek Sehee

Another ARC that has been sitting on my to read list for a while now, I really only requested this one for that amazing title. The book is a therapy memoir which from my understanding is also part self-help book. I don’t have a great track record with that genre, but I’m ready to give it another shot because I do love it when it’s done well.

We Are All So Good at Smiling by Amber McBride

The last of my outstanding ARC books, if I can finish this one and the above two this month, I can go back to requesting! This young adult novel-in-verse that deals with depression and trauma sounds right up my alley. I have big expectations for this one!

Reader Question: What is on your book list of August hopefuls?