Feb 23

Feb 23 Yolk - Mary H.K. Choi

I never get to be this high up, and it’s wild how June’s New York has nothing to do with mine. Sort of how some people’s news is the opposite of yours or how their phone configurations are alien if the icons are the same. Part of me is proud that she gets to have all this—knowing that we come from the same place and that she’s earned it. Another part of me wonders if she’s secretly Republican.

I remember back in the pre-Covid days going to an author event featuring Mary H.K. Choi (moderated by Jenna Wortham). Honestly, I went to this event to see Jenna because I'm a HUGE fan of hers but by the time I left, I was also in love with Mary. Her previous book, Permanent Record, had just been published and I made sure to purchase a signed copy before leaving the event. I loved her honesty, her wit and the level of fandom she had from the other attendees. So I took Permanent Record home and promptly forgot about it. Yeah, I know. I'm an ass.

Now, Mary will be publishing her newest novel, Yolk, which chronicles the relationship between Jayne and June Baek, Korean sisters who used to be extremely close but now basically can't stand each other. Or so it seems. Both have moved to New York from Texas, living very different lives. June, the eldest, is driven, works in finance and has the kind of New York apartment we all want (amenities!). Jayne, on the other hand, is living that "just got to New York" life: shitty apartment, shitty job and even shittier men. It isn't until June tells her sister that she has cancer that their relationship takes a turn.

I am so angry with myself that I never read Mary's work until now because she is one helluva writer. I was instantly drawn into the story after reading the first couple of pages, with my feelings for the sisters, especially Jayne, all over the place as I kept reading. One minute I was cringing at Jayne's antics when she meets up with an old friend from Texas on Halloween, and the next I was crying my eyes out at a particularly tender moment later on in the book. There were a lot of tender moments, as well as moments that could only happen in New York (IYKYK). Jayne's reactions to being in her apartment as opposed to June's is so relatable to me because I've lived in horrible places and now live in an apartment I love (amenities!). But the author also reveals the dynamic of the sisters' family life growing up in Texas and the events that affected them in different ways. Jayne's specific problem is not described in full until towards the end of the book, but it is laced throughout the story. It is behind the scenes but also right in front of our faces. And when the readers, and Jayne, are confronted with it, we cannot look away no matter how hard we want to.

I pulled Permanent Record from one of my many boxes of unread books and plan to read it next, as well as ordering Emergency Contact from my local bookstore. After reading Yolk, I won't make the mistake of missing any of Mary's work again.

Yolk will be published March 2, 2021.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Where to buy: The Lit. Bar Loyalty Bookstores Indiebound Amazon