I got to read an early excerpt of this book and I was hooked from the beginning, because a friend of mine had just had an ovarian cyst burst and described the exact things this author did. It helped her gain credibility in my mind, so I was prepared to ride along with everything else the author had to say in this book. She did an incredible job of describing her confusion and pain and frustration and isolation while keeping the story moving. I loved how she organized the story around the different meanings of the word “ma” in Vietnamese and processed the grief of losing her mother and finding her family and herself in the process. Really well written, and I’m trying to figure out how to casually leave my copy at a local nail salon run by a Vietnamese family. I also liked that the book exposed me to a culture I’m largely unfamiliar with, and makes me want to eat some of the food she described, even though I’m sure I could never find it here.