Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982: The international bestseller

I really didn’t know what I expected when picked this one up. The more I read, the more I was shocked by the whole the whole thing. This book follows one women’s psychic deterioration in the face of rigid misogyny in Korea. At first I thought it was a bit strange… but once I got into it I really enjoyed it. Even though it is fictional, it gave me an incredible insight into the true story of gender inequality in Korea. cim Jiyoung lives in a small apartment on the outskirts of Seoul. Her husband persuaded her to give up her full time desk job to care for her new-born daughter full time – as so many Korean women are expected to do. She quickly begins ton exhibit symptoms that alarm her family. She impersonates the voices of other women – alive and dead, both known and unknown to her – referring to herself in the third person (which is incredibly eerie and chilling). As she plunges deeper into this psychosis, her discomfited husband sends her to a male psychiatrist.We get an insight into her childhood when she recounts her life to the psychiatrist. It’s a narrative full of elements of frustration, perseverance and submission. Growing up in 1982, Jiyoung became the unfavoured sister to her younger brother. Her behaviour was constantly policed by others around her, whether that’s how she dressed at school, the activities available to her, or being rejected from many jobs because of her gender. In her father’s eyes it’s her fault that men harass her late at night and in her husband’s eyes it’s her duty to give up her life and career for their child and put him first.I really enjoyed the structure of the book as it showed what it’s like to grow up in Korea as a girl. Besides from the story, this book also includes some statistics on gender inequality in Korea which was incredibly interesting. It’s shocking how recently the law was changed for mothers to be able to put their surname on their childs birth certificate (even though those children who have their mothers name are often singled out so it rarely happens). These facts add to Jiyoungs story because they excellently illustrate the message of the book and the struggle of women in Korea.

I would strongly advise against reading a full synopsis, so that the book can make its impact all the more effectively. There are no spoilers here, only comments.This novel has been compared by some to "The Vegetarian". Although both deal with the mental health of a South Korean woman, the language of this book distances the reader from the eponymous character, whereas Han Kang's novel actively sweeps you into Yeong-hye's fragmenting nightmarish world. I think the central theme of the two books also differs. In "The Vegetarian" the emphasis is on Yeong-hye herself and her own personal state of mind, whereas in Cho Nam-ju's novel, the position of South Korean women in general, using the experiences of Kim Ji-young (a perfectly ordinary young woman), her family and colleagues is made clear. Women throughout the world will be able to empathise with many of the obstacles which confront the female characters, but this book reveals that South Korea has further to go than many countries to achieve equality, with a strong expectation to produce children and yet virtually no provision for women to return to their previous jobs after maternity leave and - worst of all - a horrifying level of systemic sexism.The book's clear, concise, unimmotional language, which relegates the reader to an observer rather than a participant in the story helps to create the impression that this is a simple tale. This is deceptive - the cleverness is not apparent until almost the end. Yet there is still more to come, as the final sentence, acerbic and devastating, is a masterclass in chilling conclusions.

So, Kim Jiyoung has a baby girl with her husband and then has a mental breakdown of some description and starts speaking and acting as if she is a long deceased friend. This was a set-up for a very interesting story. Except then it stopped and went back and told her life story from birth to adulthood before abruptly ending and changing perspective completely for the final chapter where her psychiatrist does nothing but speak about himself. I would've loved to know more about what caused Jiyoung's breakdown and what happened to her after the first chapter ended. I would've happily read another 100, or even 200 pages for this to be explored in more depth. But the author seems to chuck a fancy-sounding psychological diagnosis at us before running away and leaving us with a brand new character who only talks about Jiyoung in relation to himself who adds little to nothing to the story and could've been left out completely. Although with his input you finally understand the essay-esque structure of the book, but again this came far too late.It's a very easy read, and at around 170ish pages you can read the entire thing in a single sitting. But I was never really sure whether I was reading a novel set in modern-day South Korea or someone's sociology dissertation centred on women in South Korea. This was made more confusing by the constant footnotes and clumsy interspersing of percentages and data from various studies, which ultimately added very little to the plot.Overall, I'd recommend to someone who wants to know more about South East Asian culture. But if you were after a compelling read, this is not the book for you. Maybe try Adeline Yen Mah or Jing-Jing Lee.

Enjoyed this book but left utterly dumbfounded, annoyed, upset, frustrated by the way it ends. It's a frustrating read knowing that it depicts real life and opinions and despite some men knowing what women go through, it still doesn't change a thing. On one hand, I think we've come a long way with gender equality but not every country is the same. Ultimately, we have taken baby steps towards something that will take decades, maybe even centuries to undo. Great book

Great novel

Relevant read. This book isn't only about the lives of women in Korea, it reflects the lives of women all over the world. The fact that it provides stats through out the entire narrative is great. Really shows you how recent and how real the "fiction" is. This could be a great introduction to gender inequality issues, but if you are familiar with several aspects of this topic I think this will still be relevant to you. It's the kind of book that can make you understand in a different way things you already sort of knew and through different angles. This book allows you to see how the several aspects of sexism and misogyny manifest in different countries and cultures. It's also great at showing how the issues of a society play from a individual to a national scale. Gives faces to the women inside of known narratives of social inequality that are often talked about.English is not my first language and I didn't have any trouble understanding this book. It's clear and concise. Some criticism could be done to some of the writing, but this doesn't diminish the value of the book in no way. I would recommend it.

I read this book in one go, and wanted to read it again as soon as I finished it. Wish I can make myself unread it, just so I can enjoy it just as much again.

💜Our BTS readathon cum bookclub choice for the month of May was Kim Jiyoung Born 1982 / Nature. Since May was a busy month for me, I decided to read the 'featured read' of our book club, 'Kim Jiyoung Born 1982'. In a 2017 V Live, BTS member RM mentioned that he had read this book. His exact words were, "The book's implications were unlike any other, and I was impressed. It's a thought-provoking book." ." What more does an army need to read this book..💜✳️There are stories that touch our hearts, but some stories are strong enough to touch our souls. Kim Jiyoung Born 1982, written by Cho Nam-Joo, was one such book. What I liked the most is the cover. The woman depicted on the cover has no face. If I'm not mistaken, I think it's trying to convey that this isn't the story of one woman, but the story of all women.✳️✳️I became emotional as I flipped through the pages of this book. Gender discrimination has been with us for centuries. The fact that it still exists in this society is scary. The place where gender inequality first begins is within your own four walls. I'm really privileged because of my parents, but that's not the case for many others. I don't think there is a single woman who hasn't gone through any one of the incidents described in the story. This story made me angry. It made me cry. And I want everyone to go through the same feelings I felt reading this book! That's it..!! This book should be read by every single person on earth.✳️

Avevo sentito pareri discordanti su questo libro, io trovo che sia uno di quei testi da leggere e rileggere, incarna la condizione della donna moderna e ne rivela tutta la sua complessità senza essere il solito libro “femminista” di cui siamo invasi. Consigliatissimo!!!