Reviews with content warning for Grief - Human Acts

“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.

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halfblood13's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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theroyaltyreader's review against another edition

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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.

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troxellis's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative reflective sad tense fast-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

4.75

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laceyc1's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.5

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marshallkylie's review

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

5.0

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savvylit's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

"After you died I couldn't hold a funeral, so these eyes that once beheld you became a shrine. These ears that once heard your voice became a shrine. These lungs that once held your breath became a shrine."

In Human Acts, Han Kang paints a haunting portrait of the emotional aftermath of a massacre. Weaved throughout the book are meditations on grief, courage, cruelty, trauma, humanity, and survivor's guilt. Dong-ho, the story's focal point, represents the cruelest casualties of war: just a brave young person motivated by a sense of duty and compassion.

Throughout Human Acts, Han Kang uses repetition to a devastating effect. Characters who were physically tortured all experience the same disassociation from their physical bodies, the same survivor's guilt, the same suicidal ideation. Additionally, by addressing trauma from multiple points of view, Kang masterfully demonstrates the collective nature of grief and the lasting impact of brutality on a single community.

This book broke my heart. Human Acts is an unforgettable fictionalized account of events that were all too real to so many South Koreans. Much of the content featured in this book is both shocking and horrific - but clearly that is the point. This book isn't another glamorized war story. No, it's the exact opposite: a realistic portrayal of suffering with no happy ending. Sometimes humankind is capable of horrible acts, end of story.

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