By Won-pyung Sohn
Hardback £16.99
I started reading Counterattacks at Thirty a week after turning thirty myself, and it has been a while since I have felt a strong connection with the main character of a novel. Kim Jihye is at the early stages of her career (read: internship); she lives in a poorly lit flat (situated in a basement) and she pretends to be meeting her (imaginary) boyfriend for lunch when she does not want to hang out with her colleagues.
Now, the fact that I recognize myself in Jihye does not quite mean my life resembles her life: I work at the Riverside; despite sharing a flat, I live with my best friends; and I do not have to come up with imaginary boyfriends to escape uncomfortable situations. I see myself in Jihye as she navigates a new decade not knowing her place in the world, where being settled and having a career is often expected to happen in your thirties.
And so, despite society considers behaving like an adult the only possible scenario when you turn thirty, Jihye does the exact opposite: she joins a few colleagues who, for one reason or another, feel betrayed by the system. Together, they decide to carry on small rebellious acts that scream ‘I am here too!’.
Counterattacks at Thirty is entertaining and funny without ever falling into old cliches. A fresh and real portrait of a young woman who might not know what she wants or how to get it, but who stays true to herself despite the odds.
Review by Martina