Infuriating at times, this life story is written in a sort of mix of non-fiction and fiction. It made me realise how lucky I am to live in a country where in this time and age, circumstances for being a working, independent woman are a lot better than those in Korea, only ten or twenty years ago. An eye-opener, and I really felt for Jiyoung and her peers.
‘Instead of choosing the lunch menu, they want to run for president.’ Most guys just smiled and nodded, but one devoted member of the club - a guy in the ninth year of his PhD – would always repeat the same thing: ‘How many times do I have to tell you? It’s too much work for women. You brighten up the club with your mere presence.’
‘I’m not here to support you,’ Seungyeon would say. ‘If the club needs brightening up, get a lamp. God, I’m sick and tired of this place, but I’m gonna keep fighting tooth and nail until the day a woman becomes president of the hiking club.’
