This is one where I can see its significance in Korea - given the description here on Goodreads - so I went with 3 stars. But it was a very meh reading experience.

This is largely a litany of sexist experiences the average woman in Korea is likely to have. It’s very didactic - intentionally so, but that makes it a less interesting read.

I much prefer reads that are subtler with their message. A book that is similar in style but more effective (to me) is The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani. It has a similar restrained style with a lot of summarizing in between snippets of scenes. But it handles its themes of race, gender, and class in less on the nose ways. It’s also just more interesting overall as a narrative because there’s a mystery, a story!

I think Cho probably felt the need to be super clear and obvious for her audience, but I’m not a good fit for that audience.

I did like the last chapter as a final touch - that’s where it felt the most like Cho made a storytelling choice that made the case for this book existing as fiction instead of nonfiction.