Synopses & Reviews
One of the most notable novels of the year, hailed by both critics and K-pop stars alike, Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 follows one woman's psychic deterioration in the face of rampant misogyny. In a tidy apartment on the outskirts of Seoul, millennial "everywoman" Kim Jiyoung spends her days caring for her infant daughter. But strange symptoms appear: Jiyoung begins to impersonate the voices of other women, dead and alive. As she plunges deeper into this psychosis, her concerned husband sends her to a psychiatrist. Jiyoung narrates her story to this doctor — from her birth to parents who expected a son to elementary school teachers who policed girls' outfits to male coworkers who installed hidden cameras in women's restrooms. But can her psychiatrist cure her, or even discover what truly ails her? "A social treatise as well as a work of art" (Alexandra Alter, New York Times), Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 heralds the arrival of international powerhouse Cho Nam-Joo.
Review
"The book's strength lies in how succinctly Cho captures the relentless buildup of sexism and gender discrimination over the course of one woman's life...The story perfectly captures misogynies large and small." — Kirkus Reviews
Review
"[A] spirited debut...[T]he brutal, bleak conclusion demonstrates Cho's mastery of irony. This will stir readers to consider the myriad factors that diminish women's rights throughout the world." — Publishers Weekly
Review
"Written with unbearably clear-sighted perspective, Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 possesses the urgency and immediacy of the scariest horror thriller--except that this is not technically horror, but something closer to reportage. I broke out in a sweat reading this book." — Ling Ma, author of Severance
About the Author
A former script writer, Cho Nam-Joo's novel Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 was published in nineteen countries and sold more than two million copies.
Jamie Chang teaches at the Ewha Womans University in Seoul and was longlisted for a National Book Award for Translated Literature for Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982.