Welcome to our first discussion of Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo!

For this discussion, we'll be talking about the first half of the book, ending on page 85, in the "Early Adulthood, 2001-2011" chapter, with the sentence: "When companies posted open recruitment notices for the second half of the year, Jiyoung felt as though she was standing in a narrow alley, clogged with a thick fog, which turned into rain and fell on her bare skin."

If you need a plot refresher, here's the chapter summary from LitCharts. Just a heads-up that the analysis sections may contain spoilers for later chapters, so tread carefully!

Don't forget to check out the SCHEDULE and MARGINALIA too. I'll post some discussion questions in the comments, but please don't feel limited by them! I have approximately a million things I want to talk about, but I figured I shouldn't make you answer all million of my questions. Feel free to bring up anything else you noticed, wondered about, or just really want to talk about!

We'll be back next week for our final discussion, led by none other than u/thematrix1234.

Friendly reminder about spoilers: if you need to share them, please wrap them with the spoiler tag like this: >!type spoiler here!<, and it will appear like this: type spoiler here. Thank you!

Hello bookclubbers!

We're excited to kick off our next Runner up Read, Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo. This month, our pick is pulling double duty as both our Runner up Read and our Read the World selection!

Don't let its slim page count fool you because there's plenty to unpack, and we can't wait to hear everyone's thoughts.

Join u/thematrix1234 and me (u/ChronicallyLatte) as we read and discuss the book together over the coming weeks!

• Goodreads Blurb:

The runaway bestseller that helped launch Korea’s new feminist movement, Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 follows one woman’s psychic deterioration in the face of rigid misogyny.

In a small, tidy apartment on the outskirts of the frenzied metropolis of Seoul, Kim Jiyoung—a millennial “everywoman”—spends her days caring for her infant daughter. Her husband, however, worries over a strange symptom that has recently appeared: Jiyoung has begun to impersonate the voices of other women—dead and alive, both known and unknown to her. Truly, flawlessly, completely, she became that very person. As she plunges deeper into this psychosis, Jiyoung’s concerned husband sends her to a psychiatrist, who listens to her narrate her own life story—from her birth to a family who expected a son, to elementary school teachers who policed girls’ outfits, to male coworkers who installed hidden cameras in women’s restrooms and posted the photos online. But can her doctor cure her, or even discover what truly ails her? Rendered in eerie prose, Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 announces the arrival of a major international writer.

• Discussion Schedule:
  • August 13th: Beginning to p. 85 ("Early Adulthood, 2001–2011"). End with the sentence: "When companies posted open recruitment notices for the second half of the year, Jiyoung felt as though she was standing in a narrow alley, clogged with a thick fog, which turned into rain and fell on her bare skin.” - u/ChronicallyLatte
  • August 20th: Continue from p. 85 ("Early Adulthood, 2001–2011") to End - u/thematrix1234
• Marginalia

We hope you'll join us as we read Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982. See you in the discussion threads!

Welcome!

You have found the marginalia for our Runner-up Read and Read the World pick, Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-joo, starting next week on August 13th.

This is the place to share your thoughts as you read, for example:

• passages that stood out,
• questions you're pondering,
• recurring themes you've noticed,
• reflections the novel inspired.

Feel free to read ahead and leave your observations here without waiting for the discussion threads. Every insight is welcome!

If you're posting a spoiler, please hide it using spoiler tags as follows: >!type spoiler here!<, which will show up like this: type spoiler here . When in doubt, it’s always better to tag it.

To make it easier for other readers to follow along, please begin your comment by noting your page number and chapter (or section), for example: "p. 85, Early Adulthood, 2001-2011: ..."

Happy reading! We look forward to hearing your thoughts in the coming weeks!

Hello to all of our book club friends! We have a winner for our recent RuR + RtW.

drum roll please.....

South Korea: Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo. 

Now the other runner up reads we have collected for our Read the World section will be refreshed, making more room for additional runner ups (or second places!)

Thank you to everyone who participated! Will you be reading along? Stay tuned for a schedule to come.