In this memoir, author Baek Sehee illustrates the balance between despair and desire, showing how people can struggle with depression and still reach for little joys, which, in this case, is the tteokbokki, the chewy South Korean rice cake treat. The social media director, who struggles with dysthymia, a persistent form of mild depression, hides her anxiety and self-doubt well, but the effort is taxing, leading her to seek help from a psychiatrist. In the narrative, she details her experiences with therapy, presenting her conversations with her psychiatrist and her reflections on her mental health journey. Apart from resonating with readers facing similar challenges, the popular book lifts the stigma of seeking help from a therapist or psychiatrist to overcome mental health struggles.
