![]() ![]() While there are a lot of Korea-specific cultural references, Ji-Young really is an everywoman and I’ve had many similar experiences to hers, even though I was born a year earlier and literally half a world (and another culture) away. ![]() It’s stultifyingly normal, but there are moments that any woman can relate to–being forced to tolerate the bullying of little boys in school, being blamed for unwanted attention from men, the difficulties of moving up in the professional world and the thousand small irritations that come from marrying a well-meaning but basic man in a world determined to favor him over you. If that story formed the bulk of the book it would be great, but instead, the narrative is mostly a very dry recital of Ji-Young’s childhood and coming of age up to the point of her breakdown. However, one day she starts channeling the voices and personalities of other women and her concerned husband takes her to a psychiatrist, who dutifully records her life history. She’s a 33-year-old former marketer, well-married with a one-year-old daughter and a fairly pleasant, stable life. Fittingly, the protagonist of this book is a very ordinary Korean woman. Kim Ji-Young was the most common baby girl’s name in Korea in 1982. ![]() And it isn’t entertaining, but it is necessary, I think. ![]() Let me start by saying that this is not an enjoyable read at all, but it is important. ![]()
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