Each of us knows a Kim Ji-young... The character Kim Ji-young, an ordinary thirty-something, is intimately familiar to Korean readers — especially female readers. The author doesn't have to make any special effort for the credibility of her story, as the individual life episodes are part of a shared everyday reality and common experiences. The choice of name is already symbolic: Ji-young is reportedly the most common first name given to Korean girls in 1982. Almost everyone knows a "Kim Ji-young" in their surroundings, who experiences small slights, harassment, and obvious discrimination from early childhood through school years, later in marriage and in the workplace. One day, however, the main character begins to speak in different voices. The voice of her friend, her mother... Her husband arranges a visit to a psychiatrist, and she tells him her story, which is also the story of all Korean women. Before the resolution of each incident, we mostly subconsciously feel what will follow, even though we might prefer to be wrong. The social reality based on traditional values and attitudes is chilling and relentless in this regard.
