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3.5
“Because why would snow not melt on a baby’s warm face?”
Read if you want to learn about the Jeju massacre and the myriad ways to describe snow.
The third part was pure exposition and reminded me of a recent play I watched (“Here There Are Blueberries”) where actors essentially narrated through archival Holocaust materials, telling rather than showing as Inseon does in this part of the novel.
Here, the book almost becomes nonfiction and I just wish it was less abrupt. Because while the barrage of family stories Inseon sifts through appropriately knocked the wind out of me, it was also harder to absorb when you’ve been reading about birds and blizzards for the past few hours.
The figures that gird the story also fade out at the end. Kyungha, who starts out as an intriguing, well-fleshed character, suddenly becomes passive—a device to give a history lesson.
I appreciate the research that went into this book and as always, adore the poetry of Han Kang’s writing, but I think the format of this book did not work for me.
“Because why would snow not melt on a baby’s warm face?”
Read if you want to learn about the Jeju massacre and the myriad ways to describe snow.
The third part was pure exposition and reminded me of a recent play I watched (“Here There Are Blueberries”) where actors essentially narrated through archival Holocaust materials, telling rather than showing as Inseon does in this part of the novel.
Here, the book almost becomes nonfiction and I just wish it was less abrupt. Because while the barrage of family stories Inseon sifts through appropriately knocked the wind out of me, it was also harder to absorb when you’ve been reading about birds and blizzards for the past few hours.
The figures that gird the story also fade out at the end. Kyungha, who starts out as an intriguing, well-fleshed character, suddenly becomes passive—a device to give a history lesson.
I appreciate the research that went into this book and as always, adore the poetry of Han Kang’s writing, but I think the format of this book did not work for me.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
no book has so fully immersed me like this one did.
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Han Kang’s prose is stunning, immersive, and at times hypnotic. The imagery in We Do Not Part often stopped me in my tracks with its beauty.
That said, this book just wasn’t for me because its positive aspects were dragged down by the heaviness of the content, which is steeped in war violence, trauma, and the lingering psychological aftermath of conflict.
While Kang explores these themes in a deeply creative way, I often found myself feeling distanced rather than engaged. The violence was emotionally exhausting.
While Kang explores these themes in a deeply creative way, I often found myself feeling distanced rather than engaged. The violence was emotionally exhausting.
While I admire this novel for its ambition and artistry, the subject matter and emotional tone left me cold. A beautifully written book that I can’t say I enjoyed.
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I don't know if I just wasn't in the right frame of mind when I read this book, but I struggled to wrap my head around the narrative structure and found myself frequently getting lost and having to re-read sections I'd just covered to make sense of where the story was at.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
this book blew me away! i knew very little about jeju island or its history prior to this book, but the author did an incredible job introducing the material and guiding readers through the terrible events of the past through the eyes of the main character. i really enjoyed the narration of the audiobook as well; i felt like the narrator matched the tone of the book perfectly and maintained the dream-like aspect of the main character's experience on the island. overall, i highly recommend this book, and i hope to read more from this author soon!
No sabía bien que esperar de este libro, me lo compré solo por la autora y no me arrepiento en lo absoluto. Fue una excelente lectura, conmovedora, delicada.