Books like Kim Jiyoung, born 1982 by Cho Nam-ju

Kim Jiyoung, a thirty‑somethings who has left a white‑collar job to raise her newborn, lives in a modest Seoul apartment. After her child is born, she begins to exhibit unsettling symptoms, including impersonating other women’s voices. These episodes alarm her husband, parents, and in‑laws. She is taken to a psychiatrist, where her story is recounted in a terse third‑person narrative that captures frustration, perseverance, and submission. Growing up as the youngest and shortest sibling, Jiyoung’s life is constantly policed by male authority figures—teachers, coworkers, and family—who enforce strict gender roles. The novel situates her personal struggles against Korea’s broader social shifts, including the abandonment of strict family‑planning policies and the passing of new legislation against gender discrimination.

First publish date: 2019