comment on language and style

The language of the novel feels clinical and objective, which is what the therapist is striving for in his “case study” of Jiyoung’s life. Events are presented from her life with middling detail—characters are given dialogue, settings are briefly described, and feelings are quickly mentioned. But the reader never feels as if she is embodying Jiyoung or learning about her emotions or thoughts. Instead, the reader is left to project their own reactions of outrage and despair onto Jiyoung without ever being told what Jiyoung feels or thinks.