Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi

 

 

September salutations to you and yours! We met at Paul Miller Park to discuss Yolk, which may be our last opportunity to meet outdoors for this year, as the author of our October read, Diane Wilson, has graciously agreed to join our October 11th meeting via Zoom! Mark your calendars~ hope to see you all there! 

Speaking of October's book, The Seed Keeper, as a friendly reminder, we have limited copies available within Viking. However, there is an audiobook in Viking, and an e-book available on Hoopla, for those who don't mind those versions. We'd like to encourage anyone who may already have a copy, or has an alternative means to obtain a copy, to do so if at all possible. In addition, in an effort to keep the limited quantity of copies we do have available circulating, we politely ask that you read through your issue quickly and return it as soon as possible so that we can pass it along to the next member. Thanks in advance for your help!

 

To the book!

 

Jayne Baek is barely getting by. She shuffles through fashion school, saddled with a deadbeat boyfriend, clout-chasing friends, and a wretched eating disorder that she’s not fully ready to confront. But that’s New York City, right? At least she isn’t in Texas anymore, and is finally living in a city that feels right for her.

On the other hand, her sister June is dazzlingly rich with a high-flying finance job and a massive apartment. Unlike Jayne, June has never struggled a day in her life. Until she’s diagnosed with uterine cancer. Suddenly, these estranged sisters who have nothing in common are living together. Because sisterly obligations are kind of important when one of you is dying.

 

Unlike most all other book discussions, there really weren't two camps of opinions regarding Yolk. The closest present company could come to saying they liked the book was, "Well, I kind of liked it..." while their mind wandered, trying to put their finger on just what it was that they kind of liked. Another member added, "It doesn't make any sense, but I liked Choi's writing itself. I liked the proposed plot of the book, and I even gave it 3 stars and would consider reading something else of hers... but I also hated it at the same time." I'm afraid that's as good as it got for Yolk.

Largely, we found it polluted. Several members put it down within the first few chapters, completely uninterested in finishing. The ending was ambiguous and open-ended, something several members found disappointing. With Patrick being the only possible exception, we didn't care for, or relate to, any of the characters. Also, it was obvious Jayne and June were estranged, but it wasn't clear why that was. 

All of that aside, outside of a 23-year-old being successful enough so early on in life in New York City to have seemingly unlimited funds and a luxurious apartment complete with a doorman, we found the depiction of life in the Big Apple, with it's illustrated "haves and have nots", realistic and believable... as bleak as that is. Overall, clearly, this book wasn't a crowd favorite. 

Disagree? Please, fill us in below!

P.S. We wondered about where the title for the book came from~ any ideas?

 

Are you a Yolk fan? Admirers of the book also enjoyed: Chosen Ones, by Veronica Roth, The Priory of the Orange Tree, by Samantha Shannon, and The Heir Affair, by Heather Cocks. All of these titles are available in Viking~ reserve your copy today!   

 

At the conclusion of every book club discussion we ask three questions and track the average answers:
Would we recommend this to another book club for discussion?
"NO"
Would we recommend this to a friend to read? 
"NO"
Rate the book 1-5 stars, with 1 being the lowest rating: 
 3 stars