Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982

Kim Ji Yeon is one of the most common Korean names for an entire generation. In this novel, the heroine is essentially any modern South Korean woman whose mother, after her birth, was forced to apologize to her husband’s parents because her child was a girl. In this novel, Kim Ji Yeon’s story spans from childhood to motherhood as she tells her account to a male psychiatrist—a typical citizen of her country. Kim Ji Yeon faces deeply rooted gender discrimination at every stage of her life, and it deeply shocks her, since for many years the international community has associated South Korea with a highly developed, progressive culture.