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The Trunk

The must-read Korean sensation, now a major Netflix K-drama

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The Trunk

By: Kim Ryeo-ryeong
Narrated by: Greta Jung
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

**Soon to be a major Netflix TV series, starring Gong Yu and Seo Hyun-jin**

Read the pageturning Korean feminist thriller for fans of KIM JIYOUNG BORN 1982, CONVENIENCE STORE WOMAN and YELLOWFACE.


‘So this is the world we live in, where even spouses can be rented’

Meet Noh Inji: thirty years old, five wedding rings so far, and she’s never once been in love.

When Inji takes a job at Wedding & Life, the popular matchmaking service, she never imagines her role will be with NM, their secretive marriage division that rents out ‘field spouses’ for a fixed period to their elite clientele. Just like a real marriage, Inji’s assignments involve a wedding, some sex and a spot of housework. It’s all tailored exactly to the client’s desires - no legal battles, no fights, no emotional baggage.

In no way is Inji interested in finding real love, because accidents happen when you mistakenly assume that you are somehow special. At NM, love is temporary, which is just how Inji likes it.
When one of Inji’s old husbands, a mysterious high-profile music producer, requests her back for another year of marriage, Inji’s own dark past will begin to unravel – as well as the sinister underbelly of the NM management, who will stop at nothing to preserve their reputation - and that of their wealthiest clients …

© Kim Ryeo-ryeong 2024 (P) Penguin Audio 2024

Family Life Genre Fiction Literature & Fiction Psychological Satire Thriller & Suspense World Literature Marriage

Critic reviews

Kim Ryeo-ryeong’s punchy takedown of marriage conventions and societal norms excitedly juggles a lot of ideas
Sharp Korean satire with a feminist edge, boasting that greatest of modern accolades: now a major Netflix series
All stars
Most relevant
nothing happened at all. I kept expecting the story to pick up, but it simply did not do that.

there was no story

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marketed as Korean "feminism", but reads more like a telenovela with a controversial theme. the narration was not very engaging and i thought the plot was not clearly defined and it did not really make the messages stand out. a bit of a disappointment, since i was looking forward to seeing more feminist fiction from Asia...overall, i was expecting a bit more from it and i felt it did not deliver.
i saw it was made into a TV show, i'm really curious at this point what they did with the story, as a comparison.

i expected more

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I don’t understand. This book gets started well but then nothing happens, the whole time you’re waiting for a story line but nothing. I’m really disappointed.

Much ado about nothing

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