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Han Kang’s writing is absolutely exquisite. The whole book reads like a poem in prose. I learned a lot about the Jeju Island massacre and the world events surrounding it both from this book and from Googling terms and events I didn’t know while reading - and during AAPI Heritage Month!
This is a beautiful story of deep love in the face of rampant violence and generational trauma. I did find some of the perspective switching to be confusing, sometimes due to the total lack of use of quotation marks. This may be due to translation from Korean to English, so I tried my best to keep things straight. Overall, this was a beautiful read that felt like a dark yet exquisite dreamscape rooted deep in the history of Jeju Island and its people. No wonder it won the Nobel Prize in Literature!
This is a beautiful story of deep love in the face of rampant violence and generational trauma. I did find some of the perspective switching to be confusing, sometimes due to the total lack of use of quotation marks. This may be due to translation from Korean to English, so I tried my best to keep things straight. Overall, this was a beautiful read that felt like a dark yet exquisite dreamscape rooted deep in the history of Jeju Island and its people. No wonder it won the Nobel Prize in Literature!
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
given that i had to race against my library’s due date to finish this, i didn’t give it the attention it clearly deserved. that being said, kang’s prose is the definition of hauntingly beautiful. she dedicates so many words to her descriptions of the mundane and i’m just in awe of how she as a writer managed to make us notice every little thing. i struggled to understand the plot itself once part two rolled in. there’s definitely something spooky to this. maybe i’ll reread it once i brush up on the historical context + its connection to the earlier plot line
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Grief, War
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I have no idea how to rate this book. It was unsettling and compelling and fascinating. It answered so few of the questions I had. It was beautiful and sad. I wasn’t sure what was happening a lot of time and yet I was very invested. I will probably think about it for a long, long time. But I could not say I enjoyed it. I might need to let it sit before I really know what I think. And that says a lot all on its own— how many books feel so beyond definition or containment?
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A part of me permanently resides in the spaces between Han Kang’s words.
This book was hauntingly beautiful. I felt as if I was in a dream or was it a nightmare, the definitions blurry. The grief, the generational trauma, the brutality and futility of war…can one ever part?
This book was hauntingly beautiful. I felt as if I was in a dream or was it a nightmare, the definitions blurry. The grief, the generational trauma, the brutality and futility of war…can one ever part?