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alexismoodie's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Police brutality, Rape, Torture, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Death, Genocide, Murder, Self harm, Gore, Mass/school shootings, Mental illness, Suicide, Confinement, Grief, and Medical trauma
literaryjunarin's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
“Bearing that in mind, the question which remains to us is this: what is humanity? What do we have to do to keep humanity as one thing and not another?”
Deeply upsetting, and painfully brutal, Han Kang laid out different stories from victims of the Gwangju Uprising in South Korea, in 1980.
I loved the second-person narrative instantly. It made my reading experience much more immersive. At one point, I actually felt the sweat trickling down my back as was described in the book. That sounds weird, but anyway. As much as I loved the narration style, it also made the torture and oppression feel more painful.
My favorite story would be The Boy's Friend. I was so invested in reading the point of view of a soul, and not a living character. It was so dark and unsettling. However, The Boy's Mother chapter is so heart-wrenching. All the mother's reminiscings of his dead son made me cry so much I could hardly read thru my tears.
Han Kang has this special way of writing about bodies, deaths, and souls. I enjoyed The Vegetarian but this book is on a whole another level.
Deeply upsetting, and painfully brutal, Han Kang laid out different stories from victims of the Gwangju Uprising in South Korea, in 1980.
I loved the second-person narrative instantly. It made my reading experience much more immersive. At one point, I actually felt the sweat trickling down my back as was described in the book. That sounds weird, but anyway. As much as I loved the narration style, it also made the torture and oppression feel more painful.
My favorite story would be The Boy's Friend. I was so invested in reading the point of view of a soul, and not a living character. It was so dark and unsettling. However, The Boy's Mother chapter is so heart-wrenching. All the mother's reminiscings of his dead son made me cry so much I could hardly read thru my tears.
Han Kang has this special way of writing about bodies, deaths, and souls. I enjoyed The Vegetarian but this book is on a whole another level.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Excrement, Death, Confinement, Torture, Child death, Sexual violence, Police brutality, Gun violence, Violence, and Grief
theroyaltyreader's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.75
it doesn't really have a solid plot nor character's growth. it is more on compilation of Gwanju Uprising memories.
This book is so heavy and dark. The description of people got killed during the protest so raw, realistic and gruesome. It is not twisted but the description of torture and death do really leave me in shook. How can SK rises from the dead? They can build a new life on top of dark memories. To the old generation, these memories still intact but to the new generation, it is unspeakable among them, i think. This book taught me on people are really cruel. They knew life worth of something so other people took it away. Disabled and buried away those civilian's life. What a tense and sad time it was.
It remains as a scar and the bloodiest protest ever in SK. I myself got spook in case the soldier starting to torture civillians. The emotions of this author felt so genuine and manage to reach the reader. I can't imagine if those who read can't feel the pain. I wanted to give 5 stars but I ended up 4.75 stars because I was a bit of confuse with the usage of second POV. I kinda lost at first despite of understand but still unable to focus properly. It does give a big impact to me then. At the early reading, the author emphasizes a strong POV which was the second one where YOU need to imagine if YOU were there.
Another part is that I want to know further about the politics that lead to Gwangju Uprising. I know the author provided basic knowledge but as a history lover, I want more. I want to weep and cry and let the tears went away for these victims but it got stuck. Must be suprising how tragedy it was this protest. Rather than sad, it left me speechless. Too many violences were executed. Brutal at its finest.
To Han Kang, I feel this tragedy deeply into my heart. You managed to educate me how dark it was that days. The emotions that you capture and put in here is really touching. To Gwanju residents, I hope that they knew that their stories during the uprising has travelled far across of what they realy expected. We knew, heard and feel and the justice for the victims will always be upheld by the reader.
This book is so heavy and dark. The description of people got killed during the protest so raw, realistic and gruesome. It is not twisted but the description of torture and death do really leave me in shook. How can SK rises from the dead? They can build a new life on top of dark memories. To the old generation, these memories still intact but to the new generation, it is unspeakable among them, i think. This book taught me on people are really cruel. They knew life worth of something so other people took it away. Disabled and buried away those civilian's life. What a tense and sad time it was.
It remains as a scar and the bloodiest protest ever in SK. I myself got spook in case the soldier starting to torture civillians. The emotions of this author felt so genuine and manage to reach the reader. I can't imagine if those who read can't feel the pain. I wanted to give 5 stars but I ended up 4.75 stars because I was a bit of confuse with the usage of second POV. I kinda lost at first despite of understand but still unable to focus properly. It does give a big impact to me then. At the early reading, the author emphasizes a strong POV which was the second one where YOU need to imagine if YOU were there.
Another part is that I want to know further about the politics that lead to Gwangju Uprising. I know the author provided basic knowledge but as a history lover, I want more. I want to weep and cry and let the tears went away for these victims but it got stuck. Must be suprising how tragedy it was this protest. Rather than sad, it left me speechless. Too many violences were executed. Brutal at its finest.
To Han Kang, I feel this tragedy deeply into my heart. You managed to educate me how dark it was that days. The emotions that you capture and put in here is really touching. To Gwanju residents, I hope that they knew that their stories during the uprising has travelled far across of what they realy expected. We knew, heard and feel and the justice for the victims will always be upheld by the reader.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Blood, Child death, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Torture, War, and Violence
luman's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
A heartache put into prose that deserves to be heard, some places gave me goosebumps, some caused my eyes to feel heavy with the feeling of brimming tears that never really came and just sunk deep into my heart.
I don't feel like I can comment much on this as it is souch a delicate story but I loved everything about the way it was handled: the intertwined different persepctives that connected in one way or another, the usage of 1st person and lastly, the inclution of the writer's experience as well.
In some ways, I could relate these events to Lithuania's own history and the writer's experiences to my own feelings of wanting to keep the memory of all thes brave people alive and the desperate wishing to be able to go back in time and make the suffering go away, to protect everyone somehow or at least let them know that it will all not go in vain.
All in all, I am getting more and more sucked into this topic and also am planning on checking out other Han Kang's works as well, if this was anything to go by.
I don't feel like I can comment much on this as it is souch a delicate story but I loved everything about the way it was handled: the intertwined different persepctives that connected in one way or another, the usage of 1st person and lastly, the inclution of the writer's experience as well.
In some ways, I could relate these events to Lithuania's own history and the writer's experiences to my own feelings of wanting to keep the memory of all thes brave people alive and the desperate wishing to be able to go back in time and make the suffering go away, to protect everyone somehow or at least let them know that it will all not go in vain.
All in all, I am getting more and more sucked into this topic and also am planning on checking out other Han Kang's works as well, if this was anything to go by.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Torture, Suicide, Sexual harassment, Mental illness, Mass/school shootings, Emotional abuse, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Grief, Death, Confinement, Child death, and Child abuse
patslibrary's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Torture, Violence, Murder, Police brutality, Alcoholism, Blood, Death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Confinement, Mass/school shootings, and Vomit
Moderate: Suicide, Self harm, Misogyny, and Sexism
moiralyle's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Physical abuse, Vomit, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Child death, Confinement, Grief, Self harm, Violence, War, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Murder, Police brutality, Rape, and Suicide
katiemcgregor's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
To call Human Acts heart wrenching would be a misnomer. This book shook me to the very core of my soul. Kang does a magnificent job of introducing her readers to a historical event, they very likely haven't heard before, not through a dull recount of names and dates, but through the grief and destruction left in it's wake. The stories of those who live are just as tragic as of those who die and the whole book feels eerily close to non-fiction.
My main misgiving with Human Acts is the switches in perspectives. I found the second person perspective so jarring that, ironically, it was difficult to put myself in the shoes of the characters whose stories were told from this point of view. Along with the fact that I read a translation, the book is simply stilted in some places where it likely isn't in the original transcript.
I wouldn't say these issues prevent Human Acts from being effective in it's mission. Kang asks questions about humanity that are impossible to answer, but still left me steadily weeping through every section; not the intense type of crying that leaves you dehydrated, but the silent tears that can't be stopped because it feels like there's no other way to grapple with the unimaginable cruelties of this world.
My main misgiving with Human Acts is the switches in perspectives. I found the second person perspective so jarring that, ironically, it was difficult to put myself in the shoes of the characters whose stories were told from this point of view. Along with the fact that I read a translation, the book is simply stilted in some places where it likely isn't in the original transcript.
I wouldn't say these issues prevent Human Acts from being effective in it's mission. Kang asks questions about humanity that are impossible to answer, but still left me steadily weeping through every section; not the intense type of crying that leaves you dehydrated, but the silent tears that can't be stopped because it feels like there's no other way to grapple with the unimaginable cruelties of this world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Torture, and Violence
rieviolet's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
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? No
5.0
I can only say that this book wrecked me, it was a superb and heartbreaking punch to the stomach.
I really loved the writing style, I think it struck a very good balance between direct/matter-of-fact and poetic. A lot of scenes deeply moved me and I can still picture them so vividly in my mind because the author crafted them with such powerful and evocative words.
One of the things that I appreciated the most was the choice to include different point of views. It was so very interesting to follow the story through different eyes and I think that the author did a really good job at inhabiting the characters.
Each chapter includes and expands on a character that we have already briefly met before in the story; I think it is a very artful narrative choice and it will certainly make for a meaningful re-read, once one is already aware of all the interconnections. I also really loved the final chapter from the author's POV.
As you can see from the long list of trigger warnings, the author does not shy away from the more graphic details of those horrific events. Not once while reading, I thought that it is was overdone just for the sake of it, it is simply an honest depiction of brutal happenings, but please keep that in mind and look after yourself.
I really loved the writing style, I think it struck a very good balance between direct/matter-of-fact and poetic. A lot of scenes deeply moved me and I can still picture them so vividly in my mind because the author crafted them with such powerful and evocative words.
One of the things that I appreciated the most was the choice to include different point of views. It was so very interesting to follow the story through different eyes and I think that the author did a really good job at inhabiting the characters.
Each chapter includes and expands on a character that we have already briefly met before in the story; I think it is a very artful narrative choice and it will certainly make for a meaningful re-read, once one is already aware of all the interconnections. I also really loved the final chapter from the author's POV.
As you can see from the long list of trigger warnings, the author does not shy away from the more graphic details of those horrific events. Not once while reading, I thought that it is was overdone just for the sake of it, it is simply an honest depiction of brutal happenings, but please keep that in mind and look after yourself.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Blood, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Violence, Torture, Sexual violence, and Police brutality
Moderate: Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Mental illness, Vomit, Suicide, and Sexism
Minor: Infertility and Terminal illness
thuyr98's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
What struck and stayed with me the most was the fact that these civilians were asking for their human rights, to work and live in better and more humane conditions. They came forward asking for a shred of humanity, thinking that the soldiers wouldn’t kill unarmed kids, that they wouldn’t be so cruel. But the soldiers were rewarded for their violent acts. So one side was asking for and relying on their belief of humanity, while the other was just focusing on preserving power.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Grief, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, and War
sabbygee's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
Told from several perspectives of the 1980 Gwangju Uprising and the years that follow, Han Kang doesn’t shy away from grisly descriptions of violence and despair to walk readers through a pivotal period in South Korea’s history.
It’s certainly not a book you’d devour in one sitting. It took a lot of time and effort for me to fully immerse. Even when I did, I didn’t feel totally committed. Every chapter is told from a different character’s perspective so the writing changes a bit each time. It made the narrative seem fragmented for me though so it’s probably why I felt detached from the whole story. In the end, it left me feeling more sadness than pain but no lasting impression.
(P.S. still, thank you Kim Namjoon for indirectly recommending this book.)
It’s certainly not a book you’d devour in one sitting. It took a lot of time and effort for me to fully immerse. Even when I did, I didn’t feel totally committed. Every chapter is told from a different character’s perspective so the writing changes a bit each time. It made the narrative seem fragmented for me though so it’s probably why I felt detached from the whole story. In the end, it left me feeling more sadness than pain but no lasting impression.
(P.S. still, thank you Kim Namjoon for indirectly recommending this book.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, War, Suicide, Police brutality, Murder, Death, Confinement, and Blood