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wovenquiry's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, and Blood
danielles_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
After you died I could not hold a funeral,
And so my life became a funeral.
Damn, this book!
I didn't necessarily enjoy reading this, but I'm seriously impressed. This is the type of book that is so depressing and brutal that it was difficult for me to make myself pick it up and continue. I'm not a huge mood reader normally, but I felt like I had to read a more lighthearted book at the same time to get through this! However, while I was reading, I was completely absorbed.
Han Kang took a historical event where the government brutalized its own people, and showed us its lasting impacts on both the murdered and the survivors. This book is so important to read just for that alone. But Kang (along with the translator, Deborah Smith) also created a hauntingly beautiful story that's hard to look away from.
My favorite chapters were "The Boy's Friend" and "The Boy's Mother".
I'm finding it difficult to express the strengths of this book, so I'll end with the fact that I'm really glad I read this. I just need to detox with happier books now.
DOWN WITH THE BUTCHER CHUN DOO-HWAN.
Those words feel seared onto her chest as she gazes up now at the photograph of the president hung on the plaster wall. How is it, she wonders, that a face can so effectively conceal what lies behind it? How is it not indelibly marked by such callousness, brutality, murderousness?
It was also strange to see the Taegukgi, the national flag, being spread over each coffin and tied tightly in place. Why would you sing the national anthem for people who'd been killed by soldiers? Why cover the coffin with the Taegukgi? As though it wasn't the nation itself that had murdered them.
Graphic: Death, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, and Murder
rockin_robyn's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
rarasreads's review against another edition
4.0
Prior to reading this book, I had little to no knowledge on the Gwangju Uprising so I appreciated learning more about this historically tragic event. I felt that the epilogue was also a nice addition to the story as it appears to be a nonfiction account of the author’s own motivation, thought process, and efforts undertaken to research Dong-Ho’s life to thus share it with the world.
This was not an easy read and contains some graphic descriptions of violence, although it serves the purpose of Kang’s writing here - to showcase the pain and suffering that humans are capable of inflicting upon each other.
Graphic: Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, and Murder
abbyarm's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Torture and Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and War
Minor: Rape, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
lindcherry's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Child death, Death, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Alcoholism
sugarloaded's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
mcfay's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, and Suicide attempt
keiiiiiiii's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Physical abuse, Torture, and Police brutality
Moderate: Mass/school shootings
kswan77's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
Graphic: Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Police brutality
Minor: Suicide