Yolk

5/5 stars

June is the epitome of the eldest child. Responsible, successful, and unapologetic. Her younger sister, Jayne, is the complete opposite. In school for fashion, living in a miserable apartment, and a terrible love life. The two sisters rarely talk despite both moving from their childhood home to New York. That is, until June gets cancer and must reply on Jayne to take care of her.

As the eldest of two daughters, I found this book to be extremely relatable. While my own sister and I do not curse at each other nearly as much as June and Jayne, I found the dynamic in this story to be very accurate. June was unwilling to outright ask for help and despite the two fighting, my heart melted when in their own ways they agreed they didn’t want to be alone either.

This book was very emotional and contained a lot of potentially triggering passages (no spoilers), so be sure to check its content warnings beforehand. I appreciated that amidst such serious topics, the book was really funny too. I laughed a lot at June and Jayne’s sisterly spats and Jayne’s narration of everything going on. While June was the one with cancer, Jayne had her own struggles and character development.

I thought the pacing and development of their relationships were great. Perhaps it was because I read this book at a particularly relevant time, but I cried for the last chapter. I loved the ending even if it could be a bit ambiguous. I was amazed by how real this felt. It’s rare that I resonate so much with a character and kept reminding myself this is a fictional story. Overall, I really really enjoyed Yolk and plan to read Choi’s other works.