Another Person
by Kang Hwagil
You must sign in to see if this title is available for request. Sign In or Register Now
Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app
1
To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
2
Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.
Pub Date Jul 23 2024 | Archive Date May 16 2024
Talking about this book? Use #AnotherPerson #NetGalley. More hashtag tips!
Description
Perfect for fans of Cho Nam-joo, I May Destroy You, and If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio
Riveting and uncompromising, Another Person explores the long-lasting consequences of the sexism and misogyny fostered in universities.
Vacuum cleaner bitch.
When Jina sees this anonymous comment on a forum it forces her out of her stupor. It is posted on a website dissecting her public allegations of workplace sexual assault, the backlash to which forced her to quit her job. She has spent months glued to her laptop screen, junk-food packaging piling up around her, tracking the hate campaign that's raging against her online. This post stands out from the noise, for it could only have been made by someone who knew her as a student at university.
The comment stirs something deeply repressed. So Jina returns to Anjin University, and to the toxic culture that destroyed the lives of many female students including one, Ha Yuri, who died tragically and mysteriously not long before Jina left. Somewhere within Jina's memories is the truth about what happened to Yuri all those years ago.
Told in alternating viewpoints, in sharp, intelligent and multi-layered prose, this powerful and necessary novel confronts issues of sexism and abuse on university campuses.
Available Editions
EDITION | Paperback |
ISBN | 9781782279372 |
PRICE | $16.95 (USD) |
PAGES | 304 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
A lot of heavy stuff to unpack in this book. I thought the writing was really interesting. Timely story. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
A moving and powerful novel about sexism and very important themes present in todays society. This was rich and sharp and made me uncomfortable, as I imagine was the intention. It was beautiful written and paced and made me think. A rich novel.
Our main girl Jina is dealing with some seriously heavy stuff after getting out of an abusive relationship with a coworker, and now she's got the whole internet coming after her for speaking up.
Hwagil's writing is like a punch to the gut - it's raw, it's real, and it doesn't sugarcoat anything. It's definitely uncomfortable at times, and I remember reflecting that certain language choices felt especially raw and ugly, but in quite an artful way. I think the language really reflects Jina's character and emotional state.
The story jumps around between different characters and times, which can be a bit confusing at first, but it really drives home just how messed up Jina's life has become. It's like trying to put together a jigsaw puzzle with half the pieces missing, but in a way that makes you feel everything Jina's going through. I will confess there were times when I wasn't entirely sure who's POV we were inhabiting, and I did get a bit lost with all the bouncing around, but the story continues to flow.
I was intrigued by the "#MeToo in South Korea" premise that others have mentioned, and that definitely played out on the page. There was much more of a focus on university than the workplace.
Now, the book does try to tackle a lot of big ideas, and sometimes it feels like it's biting off more than it can chew. There are so many characters and themes flying around that it can be hard to keep track of everything. And if you're not super familiar with Korean culture, some of the references might go over your head, or get lost in translation.
I'd recommend this book for fans of female rage, unreliable narrators, unconventional prose and translated women's lit.
Readers who liked this book also liked:
DéLana R. A. Dameron
Literary Fiction, Multicultural Interest, Women's Fiction