Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Human Acts by Han Kang

95 reviews

sugarloaded's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad tense medium-paced

• 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

This was my third Han Kang book (I had read The Vegetarian last year and Greek Lessons a couple of months ago). Han Kang writes magnificently. This is definitely a book that will stay with me. Really heavy on a lot of triggering topics. Please tread carefully. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Violence, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Sexism, Torture, Gore, Confinement, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Gun violence, Misogyny, Murder, and Sexual violence

mcfay's review against another edition

challenging dark informative reflective sad medium-paced

• 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Torture, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Child death, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Death, Confinement, Alcoholism, and Blood

paperboundwords's review against another edition

challenging dark sad fast-paced

3.5

This was a difficult read emotionally. Loved the writing style - every person has their own style in this book, they are first and foremost individuals bound by the same horrific events. And I say person not character, because these snippets are based on people who lived those moments in Gwangju. Not all is fact, but all is real and raw.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Grief, Gun violence, Death, Mass/school shootings, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Sexual assault, Torture, and Suicide

signeskov's review

dark emotional informative slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Grief, Sexual assault, Rape, Murder, Violence, Torture, Death, and Blood

Moderate: Suicide, Confinement, and Alcoholism

thislunarbeauty's review

dark emotional reflective sad

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Violence, Genocide, Grief, Physical abuse, and Torture

seaoftranquility's review against another edition

dark sad

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Torture, Police brutality, Gun violence, Murder, Blood, Grief, and Violence

Moderate: Sexual violence and Suicide

catandherbooks's review against another edition

sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Probably should've taken my time reading this but couldn't help but devour it in two days. It's incredibly sad and heartbreaking, especially since it's based on real life events, but the writing is beautiful and these stories deserved to be told. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Torture, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Murder, Blood, Gun violence, Police brutality, Violence, and War

Moderate: Sexual violence

Minor: Suicide attempt

danidamico's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective

3.5

Human Acts de Han Kang ficcionaliza los crímenes de lesa humanidad por parte del Estado surcoreano durante el régimen dictatorial de Chun Doo-hwan, especialmente en la región de Gwangju. Después de haber leído la novela gráfica Hierba de Keum Suk Gendry-Kim, que explora otra época y otros hechos históricos de Corea (las "mujeres de consuelo" durante el dominio japonés en la SGM) sentí ganas de seguir adentrándome. Como se deja en claro en la introducción escrita por la traductora Deborah Smith y en el epílogo, este fue un libro muy personal para Han Kang ya que su familia es de la zona de Gwangju y ella misma vivió allí durante su infancia; teniendo tan sólo 11 años se enteró de la matanza que el Estado había llevado adelante contra miles de manifestantes que luchaban en favor de la democracia. Eso marcó a la autora para siempre.

"Ever since the uprising began I'd felt something coursing through me, as overwhelming as any army. Conscience. The most terrifying thing in the world".

Dicho todo esto, debo decir que tuve un problema con este libro: la traducción. La propia Deborah Smith menciona la dificultad de traducir este texto y me imagino que debe ser una labor complejísima, pero la realidad es que no me gustó e impidió que pudiera adentrarme del todo en los relatos. Por momentos, pareciera que la traducción estuvo a cargo de un robot, con un uso de inglés forzado, duro, oraciones que tienen una sintaxis rara y palabras o expresiones que nunca escuché a alguien decir en mi vida. Sólo por poner un ejemplo de muchos, ¿por qué la traductora en un momento puso "get out a cigarette" en vez de "take out a cigarette" o "take a cigarette out of the bag". Se trata de cosas así que constantemente me sacaban de la historia, me distraían y me irritaban. Al ser una traducción la verdad que no puedo opinar sobre la escritura de la autora, pero dudo que sea tan forzada y dura como se lee en inglés.

Otro aspecto que bajó un poco la calidad de mi experiencia de lectura es que en algunas escenas se vuelven confusas las líneas temporales. La verdad es que hubo fragmentos que tuve que leer dos veces porque sinceramente me desorientaba quién estaba hablando y en qué momento temporal estábamos. Esto no sé si también es debido a la traducción o si es es algo que está presente en la escritura de Han Kang. Pero me hubiera gustado que las cosas fueran más claras.

"There was something infinitely noble about how his body still bore the traces of Hands that had touched ir, a tangible record of having been cared for, been valued, that made me envious and sad".

Más allá de las cosas que me molestaron o que no me convencieron, quiero subrayar la importancia enorme de este libro y realmente admiro lo que hizo Han Kang con este libro, cómo aborda hechos históricos tan terrible. Cómo encuentra palabras para narrar el terror desde cierta distancia que nunca abandona la empatía. Me pareció una buena decisión la estructura de seis relatos interconectados cómo modo de narrar la historia; los relatos se van conectando a través de un encadenamiento, con un personaje de un cuento anterior que aparece en uno siguiente, como si fuera algo que podría seguir tejiéndose eternamente.

Pienso que en los textos que documentan el terrorismo de Estado y los crímenes de lesa humanidad aparece siempre lo mismo: los familiares que buscan a sus seres queridos, que los extrañan, que piden justicia por ellos. Las conexiones humanas. Todo el horror termina siendo atravesado por el amor, por la lucha de madres, hermanos, amigos. Esa es la única luz que logra colarse por los intersticios.

"I don't have a map for whatever world lies beyond death. I don't know whether there too there are meetings and partings, whether we still have faces and voices, hearts with the capacity for joy as well as sorrow".

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Suicide, Child death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Torture, and Sexual assault

seulgireads's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Child death, Confinement, Death, Murder, Police brutality, Blood, Grief, Sexual assault, Violence, and Torture

Moderate: Mass/school shootings, Suicidal thoughts, Gun violence, Rape, Sexism, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Body horror, Infertility, Cursing, Suicide, and Misogyny

Minor: Forced institutionalization, Terminal illness, Vomit, Self harm, Cancer, and Excrement

miaaa_lenaaa's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Reflections on death and attempts at burying memories so as not to have to relive them conflicting with those who see no other option but to relive them

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Confinement, Death, Murder, Physical abuse, Violence, War, Alcohol, Blood, Child death, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Cancer, Police brutality, Rape, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Mental illness, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, and Body horror