It's hard to rate this from a western perspective. So I want to give a disclaimer that when I make critiques, I'm in no way implying that "America does it better", and I know America has its own issues with corporatized, privatized therapy practices and mental health stigmatization. But I want to mention the cultural differences, because I think it helps to go into this book trying to see it with a different perspective.

There is something to be said about the intimacy of this book, coming from a culture like Korea which still has a heavily stigmatized outlook on mental health. I can imagine that this book was a breath of fresh air for many, many Korean people (and others, of course) who have likely struggled with similar anxiety issues and feeling bogged down by the pressure to sweep it under the rug, grit their teeth and work harder. Because of that, I do think it's a bestseller for a good reason, and certainly not only popular because it's recommended by BTS, as some other reviewers imply.

My issue I think is that the psychotherapy shown is kind of lackluster, the therapist involved doesn't really tackle issues like I'm used to. There's a lot of individualism (as in, blaming the individual) and reliance on medication. The author opens up talking about her experience with an abusive father, controlling older sister, nitpicking mother, alcohol dependency, self-esteem issues, crippling anxiety... and the therapist is just kinda like. "Well, have you considered not feeling bad? Here's some pills." But, then again, the author says that therapy really helped her, and I'm not a professional, so who am I to say it's bad therapy?

The writing itself is a mixed bag for me. I think Baek Se-hee is clearly a talented writer with an eye for metaphor, and I found myself a bit sad that I'm not able to understand the book in its native language. But I will say I do often like Anton Hur's translation work, and I feel he does a good job keeping the poetic language intact while keeping it readable and accessible. The use of transcripts as the main part of the book wasn't my favorite thing. It got repetitive (especially as an audiobook), and felt quite dry, cold, and detached.

I don't know if it stands against memoirs that go in-depth into the psyche and trauma that can cause anxiety and depression, like What My Bones Know. It's more of a surface view, for people that struggle with mild anxiety and depression, which certainly has its place in the genre too.  

If you struggle with mild anxiety and depression, or perhaps feel like you don't relate to other memoirs that tackle more "severe" disorders such as C-PTSD, give it a go - I think what the author has to say is worth reading, but I personally would recommend taking the therapist's advice with a grain of salt. And, it's a quick read so there's not much to lose!