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challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Dementia, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, War, Deportation
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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:
No
A haunting story with beautiful prose to explore the long felt traumas of war and state violence. Incredibly moving, and difficult to read. Especiall given that those things are being shown on my social media and still happening to people right now. I wonder how it reads in it's original Korean. Hang deserves all the praise she gets. I will be thinking about this for a long time.
challenging
dark
slow-paced
challenging
emotional
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
informative
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
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I wish I had much to say other than I am left speechless and devastated. We do not part, not any part of us.
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was the first time I'd learned about the Jeju massacre, and what may not be obvious from the book summary is that We Do Not Part is an exploration of the trauma wrought from the massacre and the brutalities of post-WWII Korean history. The first act genuinely feels as if it's about a woman (Kyungha) trudging through a snowstorm to feed an injured friend's (Inseon) bird, but the second act feels like a historical reportage or autofiction, as Kyungha delves through Inseon's house and finds evidence of a life's worth of investigation into the massacre. It's a tonal shift, one that's different from the magical realism that the first act seems to set us up for. The memories conjured up in the second act are unsparing in their brutality and reality. As a result, it hits hard.
With We Do Not Part, I had a similar experience with The Vegetarian where I was like, "Wait, what just happened?!" and I felt like I had lost control of my own interpretation of what was going on. In both instances, it wasn't a bad thing per se; having experienced it again, I'm guessing that Han Kang deliberately allows for a loose, hazy interpretation of the events that transpired in the book. It makes sense, as this story in particular calls for reflection and questioning.
I'm still unsure if framing the entire story with Kyungha and Inseon's friendship was entirely effective, especially since their relationship wasn't the eventual focal point of the book and it could have been expanded upon more. In spite of that, I found this to be an effective, haunting portrayal of trauma and a needed confrontation of brutality and violence.
With We Do Not Part, I had a similar experience with The Vegetarian where I was like, "Wait, what just happened?!" and I felt like I had lost control of my own interpretation of what was going on. In both instances, it wasn't a bad thing per se; having experienced it again, I'm guessing that Han Kang deliberately allows for a loose, hazy interpretation of the events that transpired in the book. It makes sense, as this story in particular calls for reflection and questioning.
I'm still unsure if framing the entire story with Kyungha and Inseon's friendship was entirely effective, especially since their relationship wasn't the eventual focal point of the book and it could have been expanded upon more. In spite of that, I found this to be an effective, haunting portrayal of trauma and a needed confrontation of brutality and violence.