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Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982

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Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982

By: Cho Nam-Joo, Jamie Chang - translator
Narrated by: Jamie Parker
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About this listen

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Critic reviews

‘An all-too-familiar tale of a smart woman being slowly crushed by constant, inescapable sexism […] beneath the analytical detachment is a rolling rage that compellingly captures Kim Jiyoung’s frustrations’
‘Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 is a novel of education, in more ways than one. Riffing with the bildungsroman form, Cho has created a heroine who, as her life progresses does not so much develop as unravel. The author’s particular achievement is in blending political and stylistic concerns in a cool tone carefully captured in Jamie Chang’s translation. […] In a culture which places the importance of the category “woman” over that of the individual “person”, we are invited to see Kim Jiyoung’s identity-erasing “insanity” as radical protest. Cho’s moving, witty and powerful novel forces us to face our reality, in which one woman is seen, pretty much, as interchangeable with any other. There’s a logic to Kim Jiyoung’s shape-shifting: she could be anybody’
‘A ground-breaking work of feminist fiction’
‘A touchstone for a conversation around feminism and gender […] The character of Kim Jiyoung can be seen as a sort of sacrifice: a protagonist who is broken in order to open up a channel for collective rage. Along with other socially critical narratives to come out of Korea, such as Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar-winning film Parasite, her story could change the bigger one’
‘A treatise and a howl of anger […] it describes experiences that will be recognisable everywhere. It’s slim, unadorned narrative distils a lifetime’s iniquities into a sharp punch. The books demonstrates the unfairness of the female experience and the sheer difficulty of improving it.’
'Enthralling and enraging'
'Jiyoung is no raging feminist, rather a passive vessel, which makes her eventual breakdown all the more powerful, while the calm, matter-of-fact prose style adds to the reader’s growing sense of disquiet.'
'All the more harrowing for the dry manner in which it is told'
'To read the book is to imagine being a restive, aggrieved millennial and to trace her path through everyday misogyny.'
'I loved this novel. Kim Jiyoung’s life is made to seem at once totally commonplace, and nightmarishly over-the-top. As you read, you constantly feel that revolutionary, electric shift, between commonplace and nightmarish. This kind of imaginative work is so important and so powerful. I hope this book sells a million more copies.' (Elif Batuman, author of The Idiot (shortlisted for The Women's Prize))
'After reading Kim Ji-young, Born 1982, I started to think about things in a way I hadn’t thought about them before. It reminded me of the unfair treatment I had experienced being a woman and I felt like I was caught off guard.' (Soo-young, member of Girls' Generation)
All stars
Most relevant
Don’t let the easy prose and pleasant unfolding of the story fool you. This is big themes and heavy hitting stuff presented all nice and simple, just like the main character herself.
I personally didn’t have an issue with a male narrator on the audio; yes it was an interesting choice but I liked that it was a male voice dominating her experiences, seemed fitting considering the topics and themes at play.
I listened again immediately after completing it and enjoyed it even more second time around.

Deceptively simple and hard hitting themes

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This is a story told quite simply with no huge events or twists and turns. Just one woman's life experiences. However I found myself thinking about it long after I'd finished listening to it. Beautifully and insightfully written.

A story that may stay with you

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I really liked the way this book was so descriptive of the misogyny and sexism in the life of Korean women, and women of the world. I think every man should read this. As a woman, this book didn’t surprise me, but I enjoyed it

Unsurprising for women, a key read for men

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Though Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 is a work of fiction, we get an accurate portrayal of what it would be like to grow up in and attempt to find one’s way in misogynistic country/world. Whilst the synopsis could lead one to think this is written as a feminist lecture or in a patronising style, this is not the case; opinions aren’t forced and Jiyoung’s life is interesting in itself.

The book progresses quickly through Jiyoung’s life with each chapter focusing on discrete life stages (childhood, adolescence, early adulthood and marriage). In each chapter, the main character observes unacceptable social behavior that has come to be accepted and comments, usually internally.

The book is reminiscent of Orwell’s Down and Out in Paris and London in that both offer commentary on social discrimination that is fictional but based on fact (though Orwell is rich-poor, this is male-female). By being placed into the position of the discriminated, ideas quickly take hold. Whereas Orwell typically offers observations and possible solutions to these problems, Cho Nam-Joo seems more set on simply increasing awareness of these social problems but does so with frequent supplementary statistics and facts – it works.

The writing style is initially cumbersome and off-putting (‘They did this and then they did this, in they did this’) but quickly improves after the first chapter to the point the style becomes engaging.

Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 isn’t just about discrimination; it’s a reminder to how fast South Korea has changed in recent times from an agricultural economy in the 1980s to a highly developed tech economy in recent times. It’s a series of snapshots in time. It’s worth a read.

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(Note on audible version: If you are familiar with Korean pronunciation, Jamie Parker’s mispronunciation may become annoying. There may only be so much you can take of the main character’s name being pronounced as the famous side dish.)

Powerful

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I don't get the fuss over this book. Yes the culture in Korea is awful from Western point if view but it's an old culture and changes slowly. And it's not so much better in all Western countries either where motherhood anyway often shortens women's careers. Ok book but not worth the outrage and fuss

I don't get the fuss

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