Reviews with content warning for Miscarriage - The White Book

I loved The Vegetarian by her and I had high expectations for this one, which were only partly met. It has some very beautiful parts, but I lost connection sometimes. I'm not sure if it's a translation problem or not. Moreover, this is not a novel. Do not expect chapters and full pages and a story. The book consists of fragments- it has pages that are 1/3 or 1/2 filled, more like diary entries or a meditation journal.
EDIT a month later: I'm currently reading Human Acts by the same author and I can't stop thinking about this book. Raising my rating up to 4✨

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mathearype's review

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emotional mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? No

5.0

I finished this really quickly in one sitting. The reason I gave this 5 stars is because it simply made me cry. In my opinion, everything that makes you cry is a 5star. If it awokes feelings, it has done its job.

I live in Northern Europe and I could really relate to the long winter nights she spoke about. The despair and loneliness I feel was very much reflected through this book.
My favourite part had to be «언니», since it made me cry.

The novel evidently defies genre and due to its unusual structure, it challenges you to think and make sense of what she really is telling you. To me, it felt like walking through an art gallery. Going through it piece by piece and part by part, not missing any corners. In the sense of feeling trapped in a room and being forced to face new and difficult perspectives and emotions.

Side note: I really love how Han Kang reflects on what it means to be human beings and what connects us to the world as individuals. What do we bring that is different and new? And what is really the point in living? She is definitely one of my favorite writers at this point.

"Black. writing. through. white. paper" (essentially the entire book)

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