A review by meags97
Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-joo

challenging informative reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

A painfully relatable, Korean feminist fiction. This book, while only very short, took me longer to read then I anticipated due to becoming increasingly frustrated by the expectations of women. Initially, I put it down to the context in which the book is written but quite quickly recalled similar instances that have occurred within my own life, whereby either myself or another have been degraded, looked down upon, overlooked, over-criticised, etc. all because we are women. Thankfully, I was raised by a single mother with a sister as my only sibling but the expectation that male siblings should be treated as gods within the context of family and the world, even if that means casting aside or using the female relatives, really angered me. I felt that, at times, the writing was a bit dry, which is maybe why it did effect me so strongly, as it was, especially in the beginning, as though there was nothing outrageous about that concepts. I did enjoy Jiyoung’s inner monologue being placed in there and, after finishing the book, now understand why it did potentially read more clinical compared to anecdotal. This scores a 5 star due to the unique introduction the book, the strong message it sent in only 163 pages, the fact it did make me feel so much emotion, and the education it provided me regarding some of the Korean culture and customs both present and historical. I found it really helpful having references within the book and enjoyed that unique blend of fiction and non-fiction. 
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