I Want to Die but I Want to Eat TTeokbokki

 Book Review- I Want to Die but I Want to Eat TTeokbokki

Author- Baek Sehee (Korean)

Translated by- Anton Hur

Picked this book online as I read so many great reviews about it that I was tempted. It is a huge best-seller in Korea. This book is a close look at a persons fight against depression. This book is a part memoir and part self help book where the author has shared some of her most vulnerable moments with her readers. 

@thenovelconversation states and I quote ' For those of us who can relate to the unassuming , persistent, spread-out weight of sadness that doesn't quite feel worthy of the title 'depression' this is THE book '

So this book is a collection of conversations of the author with her psychiatrist and throughout the pages inside we can see how she relates her experiences and feelings to her psychiatrist. I truly tried my best to read the book with an open mind although the first few pages itself left me disappointed. I am not against self help books but this one really did not strike a chord and I felt no emotion as I read chapter after chapter highlighting the ups and downs in the protagonist's life. I must add that after a few conversations . the author summed up those emotions in an interesting manner, that part was in fact, according to me the best parts of the book.

There are so many home truths that are shared about the author and the challenges she faced on day-to- day basis. I did not find the conversations interesting and they made me long to stop reading the whole book as when I browsed through the rest of the pages(something that I rarely do) I saw that it continued in the same vein. I think I did not connect because I may not be going through similar situations in life and perhaps a person facing similar issues may feel more connected and like the book. 

For me , it was a below average read but that is just my frank opinion. But I must say that it takes courage to lay bare all your insecurities before readers in the hope that these conversations may help  those facing similar challenges. Many of the issues she has dealt with are the common ones that each of us face so there are chances that many facing crisis in life may be able to relate and it will help them overcome their issues. At the end there is a recipe for how one should have their tteokbokki. 

Frankly speaking, I am a huge fan of Korean Dramas, so when I came across the reviews about this Korean best seller , I was keen to read this one thinking it would give me that touch of Korean life. Unfortunately, that was not to be.