Published by Liveright on April 14, 2020
Genres: Contemporary
Pages: 176
Format: eBook
Source: Library
Jiyoung was starting to feel like a stranger to Daehyun. After all this time—the stories they shared, as countless as raindrops, the caresses as soft and gentle as snowflakes, and the beautiful daughter who took after them both—his wife of three years, whom he married after two years of passionate romance, felt like someone else.
A thirty-something-year-old “millennial everywoman,” Kim Jiyoung has recently left her white-color desk job in order to care for her newborn daughter. It seems like the natural outcome because her husband gets more money, and it’s traditionally the wife’s duty to care for the child. Soon, however, Kim Jiyoung begins to exhibit strange symptoms: she impersonates the voices of other women—alive and dead, known and unknown to her. Alarmed by Kim Jiyoung’s state, her husband sends her to a male psychiatrist.
As Kim Jiyoung recounts her life story to the psychiatrist, she reveals the frustrations of life as a woman through generational stories. Her grandmother’s story: relying on a son to support her in her old age. Her mother’s story: sacrificing her dreams and aspirations to further her brothers’ studies and careers, living under an oppressive mother-in-law who believes that a woman’s happiness comes from having sons. Jiyoung’s story: her needs coming second to those of her little brother (who was favored because of his sex), her teachers enforcing strict uniforms for female students, her harassment by male coworkers in the office and strangers late at night, her husband’s matter-of-fact belief that the wife should put her family before her career.
Companies find smart women taxing. Like now—you’re being very taxing, you know?” What do you want from us? The dumb girls are too dumb, the smart girls are too smart, and the average girls are too unexceptional?
Through the fictional story of Kim Jiyoung and footnotes that cite sources and statistics, Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 provides a thought-provoking examination of the discrimination and prejudices against women in South Korea. The women who populate this novella are ordinary women. Their stories tell the stories of millions of women who have suffered because of the sex with which they were born. Their stories exposes their hopes and dreams, pains and sufferings. These women, who have become invisible to society, give up everything without expecting thanks because they’ve been raised as the victims. They’ve been raised to believe that their family situation will better if they support their brothers. To believe that their brothers deserve better because of their sex. To believe that the women’s role is to support the men in their lives.
Like Empress of Salt and Fortune, this book features angry women. These women are tired of living in a system in which women can never win. Women will always lack in some way, and someone will point it out to them. If not school, then work. If not work, then their mother-in-law. Even before all these things, woman’s home life will teach them their father and brother holds more value them. If she even gets a choice, woman gets to speak up last.
Women don’t stay because you make it impossible for us to stay.
The story is book-ended by male voices. These individuals have grown complacent with the system, which favors them. Even after acknowledging their ignorance of women’s pains and sufferings, they continue to avert their eyes to the heart of the issue. Instead, they think women need therapy; women just need to get their life together, so men can continue to live in blissful ignorance. Thus, the male POV characters continue to perpetuate misogyny.
The conclusion of Kim Jiyoung’s story is left open ended. Though I desperately wished for closure to Kim Jiyoung’s story, I believe that Cho Nam-Joo made the right decision here. Though women have steadily gained rights, our society still produces Kim Jiyoungs. Consequently, the author leaves it to the reader to determine what changes we need to make to keep our daughters from becoming Kim Jiyoungs. This open ending is a call to action for society to contemplate these issues and create a real change.
Rating PG-13
View Spoiler »Bias Notes
As an asian writer who wants to support other asian writers, I’m predisposed to liking books that feature asian characters and are written by asian authors.
Let’s Chat
📚 Have you read Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982?
📚 How have you observed such themes play out in the present day?
Ethan says
Wow this sounds like such a powerful character study! I especially appreciate that it is an OwnVoices author.
Crystal (Kester) says
Yes! I love how more Asian #ownvoices books are being made available!