Overview

Written in Cho Nam-joo’s signature razor-sharp prose, Miss Kim Knows follows eight women as they confront how gender shapes and orders their lives. A woman is born. A woman is filmed in public without consent. A woman is gaslit. A woman is discriminated against at work. A woman grows old. A woman becomes famous. A woman is hated, and loved, and then hated again. As with Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982, these microcosmic stories prove eerily relatable under Cho Nam-joo’s precise, unveiled gaze, offering another captivating read from an essential voice in fiction. “There is mischief and glee to be found in these pages, along with the kind of laughter that sets two women over 50 rolling in snow with tears streaming down their frozen cheeks and the aurora borealis dancing above them.” —Hephzibah Anderson, The Guardian

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9781324095316

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Reviews

""These eight stories feature women of all ages who struggle with discrimination, domestic violence, dysfunctional workplaces, and domesticity. Nam-joo even takes inspiration from her own life for a story in which a Seoul-based author releases a divisive feminist novel. (Nam-joo was both celebrated and derided for her 2020 international best-seller, Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982, a revolutionary work that has sold over one million copies.) The result is a thought-provoking anthology for the #MeToo age."" -- Shannon Carlin - TIME ""In her provocatively insightful eight-story collection, lauded Korean writer Cho again centers women at home, school, work, out in the world, and cloistered in old age. Cho’s repeated use of ‘Kim’ for unrelated characters’ surnames, including in her internationally bestselling Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 (2016), suggests the Korean equivalent of Smith, brilliantly channeling the every(wo)man experience in her empathic, revealing narratives."" -- Terry Hong - Booklist ""Spare but never stark, weary but never despairing, Cho’s trim prose examines the under-seen world of women with a keen appreciation for all the possibilities for their lives—including the ones they themselves may not be able to imagine. This subtle collection is elegant, honest, and empowering."" -- Kirkus Reviews

""These eight stories feature women of all ages who struggle with discrimination, domestic violence, dysfunctional workplaces, and domesticity. Nam-joo even takes inspiration from her own life for a story in which a Seoul-based author releases a divisive feminist novel. (Nam-joo was both celebrated and derided for her 2020 international best-seller, Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982, a revolutionary work that has sold over one million copies.) The result is a thought-provoking anthology for the #MeToo age."" -- Shannon Carlin - TIME ""Set in Korea, these stories give readers a hard look at the universality found among humans. This is another winner for Cho and a good selection for readers who are looking for bite-sized stories to ponder. These brief stories pack quite a bit into their narratives."" -- Library Journal ""In her provocatively insightful eight-story collection, lauded Korean writer Cho again centers women at home, school, work, out in the world, and cloistered in old age. Cho’s repeated use of ‘Kim’ for unrelated characters’ surnames, including in her internationally bestselling Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 (2016), suggests the Korean equivalent of Smith, brilliantly channeling the every(wo)man experience in her empathic, revealing narratives."" -- Terry Hong - Booklist ""Spare but never stark, weary but never despairing, Cho’s trim prose examines the under-seen world of women with a keen appreciation for all the possibilities for their lives—including the ones they themselves may not be able to imagine. This subtle collection is elegant, honest, and empowering."" -- Kirkus Reviews

Author Information

Cho Nam-joo was a television scriptwriter for nine years. She is the author of Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982, longlisted for the National Book Award for Translation, and most recently, Saha. Jamie Chang is an award-winning translator who teaches at the Literature Translation Institute of Korea.

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