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claireh6's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Excrement, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Police brutality, Self harm, Physical abuse, Child death, Mass/school shootings, Death, Sexual violence, Grief, Alcoholism, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, and Violence
Minor: Drug abuse
nuii's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
I went in blind, which was my mistake because this isn't sth you just casually read...
It's a very difficult book (lots of graphic descriptions. PLEASE check TW), so brutal, so disgusting and raw...the crime that was commited, the pain and traumas it caused, the lives it had ruined...
Han Kang writes with such haunting intensity yet, at times, there's also sth tender and delicate about it...
The 4☆ is due to the fact that I'm not a fan of this particular structure, where 1 main plot being divided into short stories among a cast. I always find it's disruptive to the flow and the connection toward each characters doesnt go deep enough -BUT- i do get why it was used here and it's a reasonable choice to have a variety of accounts for this (historical) topic.
Overall, I cant bring myself to say I enjoy the book, it feels wrong saying that. But I'm glad I read it eventhough it breaks my heart thoroughly... still much to think about.
It's a very difficult book (lots of graphic descriptions. PLEASE check TW), so brutal, so disgusting and raw...the crime that was commited, the pain and traumas it caused, the lives it had ruined...
Han Kang writes with such haunting intensity yet, at times, there's also sth tender and delicate about it...
The 4☆ is due to the fact that I'm not a fan of this particular structure, where 1 main plot being divided into short stories among a cast. I always find it's disruptive to the flow and the connection toward each characters doesnt go deep enough -BUT- i do get why it was used here and it's a reasonable choice to have a variety of accounts for this (historical) topic.
Overall, I cant bring myself to say I enjoy the book, it feels wrong saying that. But I'm glad I read it eventhough it breaks my heart thoroughly... still much to think about.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Sexual assault, Grief, Child death, Torture, Mass/school shootings, Gun violence, Death, Blood, Murder, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Suicide
bubbles23b's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
slow-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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Murder, Blood, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Genocide, Physical abuse, Violence, Gun violence, Torture, and Death
tivvny's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Han Kang digs into the wounds left in the aftermath of the Gwangju Uprising, exploring not only the brutality and inhumanity that we are all capable of, but also the human acts of hope, courage and resilience that we can aspire to achieve. Human Acts carefully blends historical fiction and a tiny bit of speculative fiction to illuminate different voices that strive to speak the same truth, individually shaped by the unique (though also not-so-unique, highlighting the sheer number of victims of the crackdown on university and high school students during this period) experiences faced by the characters in the story. Although the time we get with each character is short, this does not detract from the impact and power of their stories - you deeply feel for the hardships experienced by the survivors (and victims) of the uprising, their anger, and their pain. The shocking revelations and unanticipated bombs characteristic of Han Kang are effective in not only emphasising the cruelty in these moments but the tragedy they invoke. I struggled with Han Kang's The Vegetarian due to the prose falling in and out of metaphors and elusive language, but Human Acts I think perfectly blends Han Kang's style with more straightforward language which helped maintain my focus and attention (this may be in part reflective of the Gwangju dialect that Han Kang integrated into some of the perspectives as noted by the translator). In short, a great pageturner that uncovers a part of history that you may not have encountered before, and though essentially an overwhelmingly dark read, it provides a sliver of hope that reflects the vicissitudes of our own humanity.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Sexual violence, Torture, and Rape
makennadykstra's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Mass/school shootings, Torture, Hate crime, Medical content, Body horror, Death of parent, Genocide, Murder, Police brutality, Violence, and War
panicpoet's review
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Sexual violence, Death, Alcoholism, Violence, Torture, Police brutality, and Gun violence
Moderate: Suicide and Suicidal thoughts
insoolee's review
dark
emotional
sad
slow-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? N/A
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Torture, Police brutality, Death, Murder, Violence, and Suicide
danielles_reads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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? 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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Police brutality, Torture, and Violence
rockin_robyn's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Police brutality, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Torture
rarasreads's review against another edition
4.0
This was a gut wrenching, visceral collection of interlinked short stories about different individuals who are connected to a young boy and their harrowing experiences in 1980s South Korea. By far, “The Boy’s Mother” was my favorite chapter with its emotive description and sorrow that one can feel emanating from the pages.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Violence, Torture, and Murder