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dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Han Kang really is master of beautiful prose and surrealistic historical fiction. This one particularly hurts me; how Inseon carefully learns about her family’s past and the deep, permanent wound that is inflicted to them all. I use this phrase a lot but it really is an elongated heartbreak.
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
***1/2
Hard to know how to rate this. Part of me feels I just didn't "get it". It's haunting, surreal, dark, detached. (There is also a lot of snow which is weird to read when it's 90 degrees outside). It was always a little hard to see where the book was going, and I found the first half more compelling than the second. This novel tackles Korean history and cultural issues that I am probably not familiar enough with as an American reader to truly appreciate, but I did learn about a little of the history and turmoil in that country.
This is my first Han Kang. Who knows if it was the best place to start.
{owned, Kindle}
Hard to know how to rate this. Part of me feels I just didn't "get it". It's haunting, surreal, dark, detached. (There is also a lot of snow which is weird to read when it's 90 degrees outside). It was always a little hard to see where the book was going, and I found the first half more compelling than the second. This novel tackles Korean history and cultural issues that I am probably not familiar enough with as an American reader to truly appreciate, but I did learn about a little of the history and turmoil in that country.
This is my first Han Kang. Who knows if it was the best place to start.
{owned, Kindle}
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
My first book by Han Kang was The Vegetarian. This was vastly different but excellent. It will require some reflection on my part, and probably a second reading. I knew nothing of the US involvement in the period of Korean history. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeju_uprising
medium-paced
Started: 07/16/25
Finished: 07/17/25
Format: 📱
Source: Libby (BPL)
Genre: Fiction
Rating: ⭐️⭐️
N/A
N/A
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No