I find it difficult to write in words what I thought of this book. I picked it up with the belief I would enjoy it, and perhaps going into it with any expectations at all was my downfall. I did not enjoy this book.

I hated all of the characters, especially the male ones. Our main character, Yeong-hye, was nothing but an object to all of them. To her husband, someone to keep the house orderly. To her father, a punching bag. To her brother-in-law, an object of desire. I was, rightfully, uncomfortable reading about all of these men– intended I expect. 

Typically I am alright when it comes to uncomfortable topics, and this book does not shy away from approaching any of them. However I found certain aspects to be completely unnecessary. The focus on Yeong-hye's breasts was on that particularly stood out to me. The descriptions vivid, detailed, however in terms of the plot held no significance.

I also found the changes in perspective between the characters to be jarring, especially with the time passing between each of them. I found it difficult to follow along when the perspective changed to both the brother-in-law and In-hye's. I understand that the point was to be disconnected from the characters, but despite this I struggled starting each perspective because I had no idea which character I was following. It completely threw me off and I had difficulty in following along until I knew who it was I was supposed to be following.

Overall I think this was a very ambitious novel, and for me it did not hit all of the marks. Partly due to the translation I presume, I found the writing to be quite disconnected from the source material in a way I cannot put my finger on. I also did not enjoy the open ending. I am just not a fan of those.

On a more positive level, I found certain quotes to be very beautiful, which brought my enjoyment of the novel up slightly. I think because certain descriptions in the final chapter were reminiscent of a song I love.