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Counterattacks at Thirty

A Novel

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Counterattacks at Thirty

By: Won-pyung Sohn
Narrated by: Jo Yuan
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About this listen

From the bestselling author of Almond, The Devil Wears Prada meets The Office in this witty, humane, and ultimately transformative story of a group of young workers who rebel against the status quo.

Jihye is an ordinary woman who has never been extraordinary. In her administrative job at the Academy, she silently tolerates office politics and the absurdities of Korean bureaucracy. Forever only one misplaced email away from career catastrophe, she effectively becomes a master of the silent eye-roll and the tactical coffee run. But all her efforts to endure her superiors and the semi-hostile work environment they create are upended when a new intern, Gyuok Lee, arrives.

Like a pacifist version of V in V for Vendetta, Gyuok recruits a trio of office allies to carry out plans for minor revenge. Together, these four “rebels” commit tiny protests against those in more powerful positions through spraying graffiti, throwing eggs, and writing anonymous exposés. But as their attacks increase, the initial joy they felt at the release becomes something more and Jihye and the others will discover the beauty of friendship and the extraordinary power of unity against adversity.

©2025 Won-pyung Sohn (P)2025 HarperCollins Publishers Coming of Age Friendship Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction World Literature Witty
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Prior to finding this story I had just finished listening to a Japanese book about office dynamics that had a petty minded character as a narrator so I am happy to report that this book’s narrator is a lot of fun. The characters are realistically depicted and the tone of the novel makes it a light read despite covering several examples of power games at play. I really liked the way that wider societal issues are seamlessly weaved in amongst the personal events which reminded me of Kim Jiyoung born 1982. This is a hidden gem and I hope that it gains a wide readership. I think it would make a great office based K-drama.

Humorous view of the challenges of work life

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