Cho Nam-Joo uses both narrative detail and statistical evidence to represent gender inequalities in South Korea. Explore the ways that the novel interweaves fiction and fact to develop its major themes.

For Jiyoung and other women in the novel, motherhood poses a major disruption to career advancement. What kind of changes does the novel suggest could lead to greater gender equality in the workplace?

The final chapter of the novel reveals that the story has been narrated by Jiyoung’s psychiatrist. How does this narrative framing shape the meaning of the novel? Does the twist change the way you think about Jiyoung’s story?