Diagnosis: Murder

** Trigger warning for misogyny and violence against women, including sexual assault. **

“The girls stowed away repulsive, frightening experiences with males deep in their hearts without even realising it themselves.”

“Jiyoung was standing in the middle of a labyrinth. Conscientiously and calmly, she was searching for a way out that didn’t exist to begin with.”

“Jiyoung did not feel good as she checked ‘NO’ with her own hand. The world had changed a great deal, but the little rules, contracts and customs had not, which meant the world hadn’t actually changed at all.”

Kim Jiyoung lives in a small apartment on the outskirts of Seoul with her husband, Jung Daehyun, and her baby daughter Jung Jiwon. A middle child who grew up in a working class family, Jiyoung attended university and landed a job at a small marketing agency after graduation. One of just a handful of women, she enjoyed her work well enough but quit after just a few years to have and raise Jiwon.

About a year after Jiwon’s birth, Jiyoung started exhibiting strange symptoms: she would “become” other people. Always women, always known to her, both living and dead: for example, her own mother, Oh Misook, or Cha Seungyeon, a mutual college friend of both Jiyoung and Daehyun who died in childbirth. Alarmed, Daehyun sought the help of a psychiatrist; Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 is presented as the doctor’s case study of Jiyoung.

KIM JIYOUNG, BORN 1982 is basically a laundry list of the misogynist slights that Korean women – and especially Korean mothers – are subjected to, both historically and in contemporary society. (Ditto: women who dare to live and breathe and exist in *any* patriarchal society. As someone born and raised in the United States, I found roughly 97.8% of Jiyoung’s experiences easily translatable across cultures.) Even as I explain the plot this way, it seems like KIM JIYOUNG, BORN 1982 should make for a fairly tedious read; and yet, it’s anything but.

As Jiyoung’s psychiatrist traces a path through her early childhood, high school and university years, marriage, and motherhood, we’re forced to bear witness as a young girl’s spirit is beaten down, degraded, and eroded – just like her mother’s and grandmother’s before her – while, as outsiders looking in, we are powerless to stop it. We are watching a murder: psychological, emotional, psychic, spiritual. A death by a million cuts: some tiny, others not so much. Intergenerational trauma galore.

There are the “smaller” microaggressions, such as how the boys are always allowed to go first: served the first (and best) portions of food at home, or permitted to do their presentations first at school. Then there’s the bigger stuff: gender discrimination in hiring and pay; limited career opportunities and pink collar jobs; sex-selective abortion; the indoctrination into rape culture, starting in elementary school; sexual harassment and assault; the pressure to have children; and the simultaneous idolization and vilification of stay-at-home moms.

When Jiyoung finally “snaps,” you’ll wonder why it took so long. Her adoption of other personas isn’t the disease, but rather a symptom: of a society that dismisses, denigrates, devalues, and outright hates women. Only by becoming other women can she challenge the status quo. They function as Jiyoung’s protectors, when Jiyoung is barred from protecting herself. (Sometimes.)

The coup de grace is the psychiatrist’s personal notes at the end, wherein he recounts his own wife’s struggles, thus positioning himself as the rare male beast, better suited to understanding Jiyoung’s predicament than most. Mansplaining meets “not all men,” while completely and utterly failing to help either beleaguered woman. It’s enough to make you wonder why Jiyoung didn’t opt for a female psychiatrist … but only if you missed the entire point of the book.

What an amazing book.

In only 176 pages, Cho has created a complex, honest, and unflinching story of womanhood in South Korea. After Kim Jiyoung begins precisely impersonating family members and acquaintances, her husband become concerned. The narrative then switches to tell Jiyoung's story, from growing up in a family that struggled to make ends meet, to going to college and gaining some independence. Jiyoung's experiences as a young girl and woman parallel experiences of women in South Korea, and around the world. The preference for men, and their dominance in all aspects of life is woven throughout the story in both subtle and blatant ways that are all to common to me, as a woman myself.

It was quite interesting to learn more about the specifics of sexism and misogyny in Korean society. I knew South Korea is much more conservative and "behind" in terms of gender equality and equity, but it was eye-opening to read about these specific situations that are so heavily informed by Korean culture.

I also LOVED how Cho backs up her points with statistics and research, even adding footnotes for certain facts. I think this is a great choice, both to back up what she is saying and to convince those who might read these story and think "oh, this is just a piece of fiction. No woman's life is exactly like this!" Cho shows that yes, these experiences are universal for women in South Korea, and should not be ignored. She points out the injustice that women face every day through the experiences that Jiyoung goes through and large life questions that Jiyoung faces.

This book is powerful and moving, and the ending.. the ending is perfect! It is clear that Cho is an astounding author. This book is put together as if a clean-running machine—there are no extraneous parts or bits of fluff added. Everything flows smoothly, working together to create what is at once a beautiful, emotional character study, and a harsh admonition of the state of feminism and gender equality in South Korea. I hope this book will break out when it is published in the US, and that Cho will receive the same global acclaim that other female Korean authors like Han Kang have received. Cho's work is amazing, and I hope that more of her books will be translated to English ASAP!

A wonderful, enlightening novel about the life of an average Korean woman. While Korean society and culture may differ in some ways, the experience of women in developed countries have many more similarities than differences. Kim Jiyoung in the book wouldn't call herself a feminist, she is not out advocating for women's lib, but she cannot escape the harsh reality of simply trying to exist as a woman. From having less attention paid to her and more housework to do as a girl child and not a son, to school with its double standards for male and female behavior, to college, the workforce, dating, marriage and motherhood, this book shows how women are affected in ways both small and large by a society that doesn't value them. Many of the experiences of Jiyoung are backed up with citations to show that artistic license is not being taken and that this story is representative of many women. Written in a very straightforward manner this book is easy to read and very engrossing. Most women will find at least one of Jiyoung's experiences parallel to hers and many men will as well. For those who doubt women's lived experience hopefully it will open their eyes and for everyone else there may be some sad comfort in knowing they are not alone.

This book was so fascinating! It has been a while since I've read anything this good. It is different and kept me intrigued the entire time!

I wasn't sure what to expect but I was not disappointed. I could definitely see this as a movie! I cannot wait to read more from this author.

I've heard about this book for years—occasional Korean news articles citing this book would pop up, kpop celebrities like SNSD and BTS would talk about it—so the moment I saw I could request the ARC, I jumped on it.

This book was a recent phenomenon in South Korea, spurring a nationwide debate on feminism. It follows the life of the titular protagonist, beginning with her sudden mental breakdown, where she seems to be possessed by various women. Her husband gets her an appointment with a psychologist, and from there, we learn about the life of Kim Jiyoung.

Over the course of the novel, we follow the various ways misogyny has impacted her: being born female to a family desperately hoping for a son, being subjected to sexual harassment even as a young student, struggling to be seen as a valid contributor in a male-dominated workplace, being brandished a "mumroach" by strangers when she and her husband mutually decide it was better for their finances for her to be a stay-at-home mother—amongst many other things.

It was a thought-provoking book, and I'm glad to have read it. I found it interesting that there were footnotes throughout where the author cited her references. This was my first time seeing a novel with academic referencing! I have no idea if this is more commonplace for Korean novels, but I was surprised at first, only to eventually get used to it, if not outright appreciate the effort put into backing up the story with real-life facts and statistics.

The ending was the perfect killing strike, if you ask me. No spoilers, but it made perfect sense, and I couldn't see the book ending any other way.

Admittedly, on the prose side of things, this isn't perfect. It can be a very dry read, heavy on telling versus showing, and I do think the translator dropped the ball on certain words they left untranslated (I don't expect the book to be scrubbed clean of Korean words, to be clear—but things like <i>jeonse</i> would be written just as that, with very little clues as to its meaning. I'm familiar with the term, but I wonder if the typical English reader picking up this book would be able to glean the meaning from context alone).

But I think the book is still very easily accessible to people all around the world. Yes, the focus is on the way Korean society has systematically made it difficult for their women to thrive and succeed without judgment—but there will be much for even a Western reader to relate to. Being told that a boy bullying you is a sign he likes you, and so you should put up with it, and even be happy about it, just as a minor example. Some experiences are unfortunately shared by strangers all around the world. If nothing else, this book is an excellent reminder that there are many ways society has failed us all, and that there's much work to be done to make it a better place for everyone.

I just watched Parasite recently ehich focuses on the social class differences in South Korea, so it made sense to me to read this book about the social injustices woman have faced and still face there. The writing style was very matter of fact and read more like a memoir than a novel but I think that was the point. I think this book will help people outside of South Korea understand the terrible sexism that South Korean women deal with and have dealt with for a long time.

This was brilliant. The detached, factual writing style will not be for everyone, but for me it was the perfect means of conveying the numbing horror and pervasiveness of misogyny.

The book throws light on the blatant sexism and misogyny faced by women in Korea, something most women experience to varying degrees. It's an important story that many women will relate to, while men will be able to get an insight into what life is like for women. Though I certainly feel that this story needs to be told, I was underwhelmed by the writing and felt detached from the lead character, despite being a woman myself. It felt like I was merely reading a report of Kim Jiyoung's experiences, without really getting to see it through her eyes. Maybe this was intentional, as it is a summary from a male psychiatrist. Also, it was an English translation of the original, so I don't know if any of it was lost in translation.

I couldn’t finish this book. The prose feels very harsh and short. I don’t know if that is just the way it’s translated. I feel like things get lost in meaning. I don’t feel connected to the writer and I don’t feel sympathetic for her. The sections where she is explaining things and the other women in her life is really short and I didn’t feel as connected. I tried really hard to finish it but I stopped at 22% because I just couldn’t read it anymore.

This book was good but maybe a little too cerebral for me. I was looking for the book to be an easy read than what it was and often felt confused when storylines got immediately mixed in with little to no background until later on.

I picked this up after reading so many glowing reviews. I wished this book was longer! Fascinating story. Very relatable story and wanted to read more.

Ugh, why do I keep torturing myself with these beautiful books that depict how hard survival is and all the sacrifices you have to make?! This was a gorgeous translation, and I think very resonate to people coming-of-age right now in a world where the idea of buying a house in a city is absolutely laughable. Though Korean, I was surprised with how universal everything felt (but perhaps not that surprised). The inherent sexism is enraging, but it's always helpful to know we're not alone.

This was a quick read but an interesting one, though not at all surprising. While I definitely learned so much more about Korean culture, I just ended up feeling angrier about how women are treated around the world and I sympathized with Jiyoung as her story is all too familiar. Wonderful story and a pleasure to read.

Jiyoung’s lack of response to his lecture prompted the father to say, “You just stay out of trouble and get married.”

Jiyoung’s abnormal behavior is first detected on 8 September. Suddenly she seems to be channeling other women, to the point she downright becomes them. Shrinking in her own life, even sucking her thumb, becoming infantile again one night next to her newborn, something is really wrong. Sometimes she is old, and in another eerie instant she is her dead friend from college who tries to tell Jiyoung’s husband that she needs a break, some support, and maybe a little praise- raising their child. Is his wife losing her mind? Is she having a nervous breakdown? Then it’s too much, she insults her in-laws when she voices her own mother’s feelings, admitted that Jiyoung is exhausted and wouldn’t it be nice for a change for her to be able to give time and energy to her own family. How dare she speak up, in any woman’s voice? This is forbidden, women do not give their in-laws a talking down to. They respect their husband, his family, they cook, clean, serve with a pleasure, fulfilling every expectation. It is dishonorable to demand special treatment. It is frightening what is happening, what is wrong with her, why is she speaking for other women? Not quite herself anymore? Why is she insulting her in-laws in such a way, she should be honored to cater to their needs!

He seeks the help of a psychiatrist for his wife, who doesn’t quite recall anything out of the ordinary. It is through her past we begin to see what it means for Jiyoung, submitting to men, from her cherished brother to her in-laws, and husband. How a woman’s needs always ranks below the male. The girls learn to make do with whatever is available. So ordinary, this special treatment for the sons, that nothing seems unfair or imbalanced this is just the way of their culture. Grief filled births are sorrows women face, producing girls in place of much preferred boys. Abortion, often the solution to unwanted female fetuses in the 90’s and 80’s are one solution but they leave terrible scars of their own on the body and the soul. Mother always working hard at odd jobs but that is the least of her weight, caring for her mother-in-law and children without complaint. In her youth, forced to work in a factory, often women sick with illnesses from such work, all in support of the male siblings and husbands.

Oh Mistook, her mother, stood no chance for her big dreams. Despite her fantastic grades and promise, her future was open for only sacrifice, in supporting others. As Jyyoung learns, boys have the freedom to brutalize and bully. Children stuff there mouths to stay in line at lunch, boys are always elected over girls as class monitors. There is a sexual imbalance, girls the unwanted children. Even clothing alone confines them, playing sports in school, wishing for a more realistic, comfortable dress code. But nothing feels worse than sexual harassment, touched inappropriately by the male teachers, and not a thing to be said about it. You just take it all, don’t you?

In Korea, through her childhood and college, there is only so far she can rise. Always it’s the male students who get recommended. She truly works hard, does her very best, behaves honorably, yet it comes to nothing really. Her mother doesn’t want her settling for marriage, to continue on the backwards way of women having no career, no dreams. Despite fighting, working hard for her place in her career, the men still get paid better- it’s a huge gender pay gap. When she marries, gets pregnant, it’s still a boy everyone is hoping for. What of the sacrifice to her career, to being the one that is the stay at home parent, certainly a given for the mother? She speaks without her own voice, because women aren’t meant to be heard. It is only through others she can speak up about this discrimination, sexism, and misogamy.

Is it postnatal depression that makes Jiyoung become other women, from time to time, or is it the state of being a woman in the world in general? What a hassle these women are with their demands, their exhaustion, when they should just buck up and carry on just like their mother and grandmothers before them. What does the doctor know, he himself needs female workers whose childcare doesn’t interfere with a successful business. So much for change.

A feminist movement indeed, how far they’ve come, how far they still have to go.

Publication Date: April 14th, 2020

W.W. Norton & Company

Liveright

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.

Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 is the kind of book that punch you in the gut and you're glad for it. I don't know anything about Korea and the women's lives there and I was happy (and very uncomfortable) to learn new things about it.

Kim Jiyoung is a wife and a mother and she spends her day caring about her daughter, until she starts to have a mental breakdown, first impersonating the voices of other women, then, slowly, becoming that person.
Through the psychiatrist, the reader is able to know about Kim Jiyoung's life, about women's role in society, their difficulty, their struggles in a world that is still too patriarcal.

Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 deals with important issues, like misoginy, sexism and it's an important read. The writing style is peculiar, the story engaging and Kim Jiyoung is an amazing and complex main character.

I read an advance copy of this novella, provided by NetGalley.

It took me a while to get into the book and at first I didn't think I was going to make it through the entire thing. The first quarter of this novella felt very jumbled and disorganized. Names and phrases were introduced with very little context and I felt lost. My primary interest in reading this book was that it's Korean, because I studied in a Korean school for two years so I'm familiar with the language and cultural customs, but the way everything was written still left me often confused. What is a "mountain club"? How can one have a part-time job "working weather strips"? And there were plenty of Korea-centric details that I could only comprehend because I watch a lot of Korean TV shows. I can't imagine going in with no understanding of Korean society and being able to understand this book. Maybe the final draft will put these things into better context or provide a glossary. The copy I received only had footnotes for national statistics to verify certain demographic facts. Unless there are also notes to explain why women call their boyfriends "oppa," how an engagement basically equates to marriage, or that Korean homes are heated through the flooring instead of strictly through vents like Western houses, I feel a lot of things aren't going to translate well for foreign audiences. It's not just a time or two, but prevalent throughout the novella.

The book gets better as it goes along, and these things become less of an issue. It just seemed to me, for some reason, the first half of the book was much rougher a draft than the latter half. And there were strange time gaps. Most noticeably, main character JiYoung's romantic relationships in her youth were explored in depth, but there was nothing at all explaining how she met the man who became her spouse and how they started dating or how they got along; instead it jumps straight to meeting the parents and getting engaged. So I didn't connect with him as much as a character as I did her previous boyfriends, and that was really odd.

One other thing I disliked was the fact that the synopsis really has nothing to do with the book. It declares the novella is written in "eerie prose" and that the main character "plunges into psychosis." There is only a very brief mention of this (and I am still pondering how JiYoung morphed into the persona of a dead friend and brought up a conversation she actually never had any knowledge of, in which case this is really a book about paranormal possession and that did not come through at all!); the entirety of the novella is about one woman's experiences with misogyny throughout her life. And while I absolutely believe that would drive someone to need antidepressants and therapy (because, obviously, all women on this planet have been there), it doesn't even make sense that she would develop split personalities, or that that would be mentioned for one paragraph out of an entire book and yet become the entire basis for the synopsis of the book. To me it would just make better sense to take out that gimmicky, overdone trope and just tell the story that's really there.

I appreciated the view of a woman's experiences in a man's world from another country. It was familiar and unsurprising, and I felt like I got to know several of the characters and became interested in their lives, too. I just didn't like the gimmick about a woman having a complete split from reality because she gave up her career to become a homemaker. I'm glad I had the chance to read it, but I can't say I would buy and read it again.

I had a hard time getting into this novella. It was written in a way that makes me think the translation isn't as smoothly written as the original. I liked the sentiment and the story, it read almost like a fable to me.

I really wanted to love this book but it was hard for me to follow. I think people who enjoy reading books that jump around from character to character will enjoy this book, I am not one of those people. I love the overall concept and recommend the book it just was not for me, I will also note I am a mood reader so given a break from work and school I think I may enjoy this book more! Definitely 3/5 stars, potentially more when I have less day to day stress ties keeping me distracted.

So illuminating... A friend of mine read this in the original Korean and said it read more like documentary than novel, and now, having read it I can see why. So much of it may feel like the pointing out of obvious sexism, but this book has the sneaky affect of piling up that sadly all-too-ordinary oppression in a way that feels both banal and unbearable. Its the very ordinariness of Kim Jiyoung's story that makes it so striking and why, I imagine, it has resonated so deeply.

Interesting look into the culture of South Korea. A lot of very similar to what women experience here in the US but the details do vary. It basically follows a career woman who has been discriminated against her whole life for being a woman. I found that it was written from the point of view of her male psychologist a bit odd but it worked.