Yolk - by Mary H K Choi

About the Book

Struggling with emotional problems and an eating disorder, Jayne, a Korean American college student living in New York City, is estranged from her accomplished older sister June, until June gets cancer.

Book Synopsis

"Sneaks up on you with its insight and poignancy." --Entertainment Weekly

From New York Times bestselling author Mary H.K. Choi comes a funny and emotional story about two estranged sisters and how far they'll go to save one of their lives--even if it means swapping identities.

Jayne and June Baek are nothing alike. June's three years older, a classic first-born, know-it-all narc with a problematic finance job and an equally soulless apartment (according to Jayne). Jayne is an emotionally stunted, self-obsessed basket case who lives in squalor, has egregious taste in men, and needs to get to class and stop wasting Mom and Dad's money (if you ask June). Once thick as thieves, these sisters who moved from Seoul to San Antonio to New York together now don't want anything to do with each other.

That is, until June gets cancer. And Jayne becomes the only one who can help her.

Flung together by circumstance, housing woes, and family secrets, will the sisters learn more about each other than they're willing to confront? And what if while helping June, Jayne has to confront the fact that maybe she's sick, too?

Review Quotes

"Sneaks up on you with its insight and poignancy." --Entertainment Weekly

"[Choi] has a knack for capturing the frenetic, vibrating voices and perspectives of young people as they enter and navigate the world." --Conde Nast Traveler

* "Insightful and intricately constructed...an appreciably personal-feeling narrative about cultural identity, mental and physical health, and siblinghood's complications." --Publishers Weekly, starred

"What lingers longest is the resonating, multifaceted story of Jayne and June Baek...[Choi's] openness--personally, culturally, geographically--gives her narrative a seamless, insider fluency; her writing is consistently assured, her dialogue nimbly tuned, even her pain potently channeled through Jayne's struggles." --Shelf Awareness Pro

"This poignant story underscores self-sacrifices that prove to be life-sustaining in the name of sisterly love. Intense, raw, textured." --Kirkus Reviews

"Choi pushes the boundaries of young adult fiction." --Booklist

About the Author

Mary H.K. Choi is the New York Times bestselling author of Emergency Contact, Permanent Record, and Yolk. She is the host of, Hey, Cool Job!, a podcast about jobs and Hey, Cool Life!, a micro-pod about mental health and creativity. Her writing has been featured in The Atlantic, The New York Times, and GQ. She lives in Brooklyn, New York. Follow her on Twitter @ChoitotheWorld.