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A review by thepassivebookworm
Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-joo
challenging
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I read this for a book club I joined, which I'm grateful for because I don't think I would've picked this one up on my own.
There's a lot to unpack here. I thought it would be a quick read because of the length, but I found myself taking breaks in between the chapters. Throughout the book, we see the protagonist dealing with the underlying misogyny from childhood to her adulthood and marriage, and Cho Nam Joo does a good job depicting how relentless it can feel. I think the big takeaway here is how legislation aimed to promote gender equality is a step in the right direction, but isn't enough. There were moments in the story where it breaks from the narrative to give statistics or background on what was going on in South Korea, which I found distracting at first but it makes perfect sense now after reading it, for a few reasons.
I'd recommend this to anyone looking for examples of feminist literature, particularly translated works. What's brought up in this book is worth talking about because of the issues being so universal.
There's a lot to unpack here. I thought it would be a quick read because of the length, but I found myself taking breaks in between the chapters. Throughout the book, we see the protagonist dealing with the underlying misogyny from childhood to her adulthood and marriage, and Cho Nam Joo does a good job depicting how relentless it can feel. I think the big takeaway here is how legislation aimed to promote gender equality is a step in the right direction, but isn't enough. There were moments in the story where it breaks from the narrative to give statistics or background on what was going on in South Korea, which I found distracting at first but it makes perfect sense now after reading it, for a few reasons.
I'd recommend this to anyone looking for examples of feminist literature, particularly translated works. What's brought up in this book is worth talking about because of the issues being so universal.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, and Sexual assault
Minor: Body shaming