Critical rating: 4.5 stars.
Vibe rating: 5 stars.

I was absolutely infuriated as I read this book, and practically threw it down onto the desk when I'd finished it. 

Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 follows the life of Kim Jiyoung, a millennial living in Seoul and navigating through life in a patriarchal country and society. 

I was gripped the whole way through this book, truth be told, and was insanely angry from start to finish. This book perfectly encapsulates what it's like to be a woman living and working in South Korea, and the struggles she faces on a daily basis. Sexism is so normalised that men don't even know when they're being misogynistic, or even abusive, and I feel like Cho Namjoo wrote about this perfectly. 

This is also normalised to the point where all of the problems Jiyoung faced are ever present in other patriarchal societies, the UK included. I know that while reading her struggles, I was able to relate entirely, and give specific examples as a result. Needless to say, I was furious upon closing the book at the state of our society, given that this is evidently a global issue. 

The writing and the translations, I would say, was perfect. No notes. Well played.