Zauner announces second memoir

Japanese Breakfast frontwoman Michelle Zauner will release Thank You for Your Suffering on April 27, 2027, via Knopf. The book follows her year living in Seoul reconnecting with her Korean heritage.

The title's Korean origin

The memoir's title comes from the Korean expression gosaeng haesseoyo, which politely recognizes someone's effort but literally translates to you suffered. Zauner encountered the phrase while getting her hair done in Seoul.

Building on Crying in H Mart

While her 2021 bestseller Crying in H Mart focused on growing up Korean American and processing her mother's death, the new memoir explores what happened when Zauner decided to deepen her connection to her mother's culture through language.

A year in Seoul with purpose

In 2024, Zauner moved to Seoul for a full year with her husband and bandmate Peter Bradley, enrolled in language school, and kept daily journals in Korean and English. She discovered her late mother's handwritten diary written entirely in Korean, motivating her to master the language.

“If I did spend a year there, how much could I learn?”

Reconnecting with family

During her time in Seoul, Zauner grew closer to her mother's family, particularly her aunt, who offered a less polished portrait of her mother than Zauner had carried. She also explored the city's music scene and performed songs in Korean.

A different writing experience

Zauner described the new memoir as a wholly different writing experience from Crying in H Mart. Instead of revisiting raw grief, Thank You for Your Suffering lets her write about a period filled with self-growth and confidence entering motherhood.

“I just know that I'm going to do a good job because I feel like I was mothered very beautifully.”