I Want to Eat Tteokbokki Book Review: Candid but Feels Incomplete

I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki by Baek Se-hee is a raw exploration of mental health issues. It’s an unfiltered documentation of someone who has been living with persistent mild depression (dysthymia). Through intimate conversations with her psychiatrist, Baek Se-hee provides a deeply personal account of mental health struggles that often go unnoticed.
Unfortunately, it didn’t quite hit the mark for the right level of intimacy. It resonated to some extent but not completely. Candid but left incomplete. As if a friend left you waiting midway.
My Rating:
❤️❤️❤️🤍🤍
"Candid but feels incomplete."
Check I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki on Goodreads
What the Book is About
The book chronicles Baek Se-hee's personal journey with dysthymia. It starts with her first conversation with her psychiatrist, presenting those transcripts of the conversations and her inner reflections. It offers an intimate exploration of prolonged depression, self-perception and relationship issues that have existed in a nuanced middle ground. They have neither been dramatically debilitating nor superficially manageable.
What Works
The narrative's greatest strength lies in its brutal honesty about mental health experiences. Se-hee captures the internal struggle of those with mild depression through her powerful, introspective-style writing. It provides you with a deeply empathetic perspective on the fact that persistent low-grade depression (and associated emotional complexities) exist.
What Falls Short
Despite its emotional depth, the book exhibits some significant limitations. The conversations with her psychiatrist feel mechanical and stiff, potentially hindered by translation issues. They diminish the emotional nuance. The narrative lacks a clear psychological framework. It feels incomplete, as if something is missing, leaving you without a definitive closure.
Who Should Read It
This book will resonate most deeply with individuals going through similar mental health challenges. Those seeking personal narratives about depression and wanting to understand nuanced emotional experiences might also find some value in it.
Final Thoughts
I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki offers a raw, unfiltered glimpse into the world of dysthymia. While not a self-help guide, it provides comfort through shared experience and validates the complex emotional states many people navigate silently. It’s a reminder that mental health exists on a spectrum far more complex than traditional narratives suggest.
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