[3][4] The title mentions H Mart, a North American supermarket chain that specializes in Korean and other Asian products.

[6][7] After Zauner's mother Chongmi died of pancreatic cancer in October 2014, Zauner frequently made trips to H Mart, an experience she chronicled in her New Yorker essay and in "Real Life: Love, Loss and Kimchi" which won Glamour Magazine's 11th essay contest.

[8] Zauner has said that she decided to write a book-length memoir after literary agents contacted her following the publication of her New Yorker essay.

[9] In February 2019, American publishing house Alfred A. Knopf announced that it had won the rights to the book at auction.

[10] The book begins with the titular essay in which Zauner talks about buying ingredients for Korean cuisine at H Mart.

Zauner applies to liberal arts universities for women and attends Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania, to Chongmi's disappointment.

In 2014, Zauner graduates from college with a creative writing degree and leads a band named Little Big League.

After moving to Brooklyn with Peter, Zauner begins learning to cook Korean cuisine and records music to cope with her grief.

She begins working at an advertising firm in New York City, deciding that she will soon quit recording music due to her lack of success.

Its reception exceeds Zauner's expectations and Japanese Breakfast signs with the record label Dead Oceans.

[6][21] Publishers Weekly wrote, "The prose is lyrical if at times overwrought, but Zauner does a good job capturing the grief of losing a parent with pathos.

"[22] Kristen Martin of NPR called the book a "rare acknowledgement of the ravages of cancer in a culture obsessed with seeing it as an enemy that can be battled with hope and strength.

[25] It was also named a top book of the year by numerous publications, including Time, The Atlantic and Entertainment Weekly.