Point of View

The novel is narrated by Jiyoung’s therapist, but this is a revelation that occurs at the end of the novel in the very last section. For the large majority of the story, the narrator seems to be a traditional objective third-person past. The very first section is titled “August, 2015,” which is chronologically ahead of the rest of the sections, which (aside from the last) range from 1982 back up to 2015. This section starts in the present tense as the narrator introduces Jiyoung, but as soon as he delves into her story he slips into the past tense.

The narrator plays little role in the story as a character. We never have a scene in which Jiyoung and the therapist interact. Instead, the therapist recounts what he has learned from Jiyoung and her husband during their sessions. Throughout, he includes footnotes about the state of women...