From New York Times bestselling author Mary H. K. Choi comes Yolk, the story of two estranged sisters set to re-collide as they discover they might just need each other more than they want to admit.
Jayne’s older sister, June, is unstoppable. She has her own apartment in New York, a competitive job, and doesn’t seem to need her younger sister at all. Until she gets diagnosed with uterine cancer. Jayne herself is drifting through university, barely getting by in the big city. When June re-enters her life, Jayne is reluctant to open old wounds and return to her sister’s orbit. But family is forever—at least, it’s meant to be. Not for the faint hearted, Yolk is an emotional ride back to family, and easily Choi’s most confronting work yet.
Let’s start with our main character, Jayne. Not only struggling to make rent, complete university, and navigate a toxic roommate situation, Jayne also struggles with bulimia and body dysmorphia. She’s both mentally and physically self-destructive as she navigates how to deal with her eating disorder, alongside the pressure of being successful within her family. Jayne is raw; she’s purposely callus at times, and full of hurt. And Choi absolutely nails it when bringing her to life. Having a flawed main character is a tricky tightrope to walk, and there are definitely times when, as the reader, you want to shake her and put her on the right path, but that is also the beauty of Jayne—she feels so real.
Being more of a character-based story however comes with a cost; the pace of the novel is meandering. The story, while overflowing with emotion, does not rush from one plot point to the next. Instead, it concentrates all its effort on building its characters and exploring their relationships. Choi fully fleshes out her characters and makes them feel scarily realistic, but this does sometimes drag the reader through certain parts of the story.
Family is also a main theme explored in Yolk. As daughters of Korean immigrants, Jayne and June feel the weight of expectation from their parents, and by extension, other families from their church group. When Jayne reconnects with a childhood friend, the two reflect on how their upbringing differed from the ‘typical’ American childhood. This is another major strength of the author, who depicts her culture so well in her novels that others can experience it first-hand. Discussing family sacrifices and expectations within the novel also helps to better understand Jayne’s motivations and her shaky relationship with her parents and sister. Slowly, we begin to understand the dynamic between Jayne and June, and how crucial it is for them to find their way back to each other.
As for Choi’s writing style, it can perfectly be described as evocative, and full of hard edges. Choi writes loneliness like no other, making it raw, physical, and all consuming. Each of her characters holds a facet of a lonely person in a big city, surrounded by people. She writes about disassociation, and connection, and messy families. She writes a version of the truth that can hurt to look at, with her characters feeling a little too familiar at times that they come across as slightly unlikable. They cut to the quick. Put simply, Choi isn’t backing down on this one, and so she shouldn’t.
Overall, this is not an easy book to read. It’s emotional and uncomfortable, something which feels purposely done as we, the audience, never truly gain our footing, much like Jayne throughout the majority of the book. But I think this is the point—real life is not about always knowing what direction to take. In Yolk, we experience the life of a character who is torn between two cultures, who is constantly uncomfortable in her own skin, and who is trying to help someone when she can hardly look after herself. It’s a book about the many steps to take before starting the path to healing. Choi’s latest work is a force to be reckoned with.
Yolk is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
From New York Times bestselling author Mary H.K. Choi comes a funny and emotional story about two estranged sisters switching places and committing insurance fraud to save one of their lives.
Jayne Baek is barely getting by. She shuffles through fashion school, saddled with a deadbeat boyfriend, clout-chasing friends, and a wretched eating disorder that she’s not fully ready to confront. But that’s New York City, right? At least she isn’t in Texas anymore, and is finally living in a city that feels right for her.
On the other hand, her sister June is dazzlingly rich with a high-flying finance job and a massive apartment. Unlike Jayne, June has never struggled a day in her life. Until she’s diagnosed with uterine cancer.
Suddenly, these estranged sisters who have nothing in common are living together. Because sisterly obligations are kind of important when one of you is dying.
