Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982: A Novel
One of the most notable novels of the year, hailed by both critics and K-pop stars alike, Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 follows one woman's psychic deterioration in the face of rampant misogyny. In a tidy apartment on the outskirts of Seoul, millennial "everywoman" Kim Jiyoung spends her days caring for her infant daughter. But strange symptoms appear: Jiyoung begins to impersonate the voices of other women, dead and alive. As she plunges deeper into this psychosis, her concerned husband sends her to a psychiatrist. Jiyoung narrates her story to this doctor--from her birth to parents who expected a son to elementary school teachers who policed girls' outfits to male coworkers who installed hidden cameras in women's restrooms. But can her psychiatrist cure her, or even discover what truly ails her? "A social treatise as well as a work of art" (Alexandra Alter, New York Times), Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 heralds the arrival of international powerhouse Cho Nam-Joo.
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Community Reviews
Although this is a work of fiction, it is clearly based on facts and statistics in South Korea. This is a concise novella on the ongoing gender politics in Korea. This book explains why the birth rate in Korea is one of the lowest in the developed world.
The chapter where she talks about how she has to sacrifice her entire life when she has a child while her husband thinks that he will too by only seeing his friends less, still makes me mad.
Strangely walked into a feminist book with an accurate portrayal on how aggressive the patriarchy is to women in Korea. The book also presents statistics and sources them as it goes. This book is less fiction and more realism, I would venture to say a good thesis in gender inequality.
Definitely an enraging book, as it makes us feel the powerlessness of our reality and how far away we are from still changing it. The ending gets me, as the psychologist goes on to note how he finds his patients (MC) lived experiences with sexism despairing, but then chooses to prolong the cycle by making a point to rehire an unmarried female peer. Its our lived reality, that people ironically acknowledge misogyny and sexism is wrong, yet contribute to it in their own way.
Whats sad to say is that even in 2023, a lot of these behaviors are still present by the patriarchy just rewrapped in different packaging. Would highly recommend for anyone.
Definitely an enraging book, as it makes us feel the powerlessness of our reality and how far away we are from still changing it. The ending gets me, as the psychologist goes on to note how he finds his patients (MC) lived experiences with sexism despairing, but then chooses to prolong the cycle by making a point to rehire an unmarried female peer. Its our lived reality, that people ironically acknowledge misogyny and sexism is wrong, yet contribute to it in their own way.
Whats sad to say is that even in 2023, a lot of these behaviors are still present by the patriarchy just rewrapped in different packaging. Would highly recommend for anyone.
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