Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Human Acts by Han Kang

140 reviews

terry_v's review

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Gun violence, Death, Gore, Blood, and Child death

dreamingpages's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

This book is heartbreaking. Check the trigger warnings before reading.

I knew nothing about the Gwangju Uprising or the labor movement in South Korea before reading this book. It was really eye opening to see the hardships South Korea has faced in recent history. 

Each chapter of this book takes place from a different character's perspective, each loosely tied to a central character: a boy who was killed during the Uprising. The chapters expand out in time, from 1980 to 2013. Choosing to write the book in this way encapsulates how these events ripple through time and S. Korean society; trauma like this doesn't just go away.

Han Kang examines the sheer staggering human capacity for cruelty and questions the existence of the soul. I cried several times and felt this book in my core.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Sexual assault, Grief, Gun violence, Torture, Murder, Rape, Suicide, Police brutality, and Sexual violence

emerentina's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Torture, Police brutality, Self harm, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Rape, Blood, Death, Sexual violence, Child death, Confinement, Gore, Gun violence, Murder, Alcoholism, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

thirdtimesacharm's review against another edition

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Death, Police brutality, Mass/school shootings, Gun violence, Child death, Physical abuse, and Violence

Moderate: Grief, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail

georgw's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

2.0

It's a well-written novel but it's not my genre. I also think it's a bit weird to mix historical tales of horror and torture with ghost stories and spiritualism. I want to learn more about this event but with the mix of fact and fiction I'd do better just reading Wikipedia.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Torture, Gun violence, Grief, Child death, War, Violence, Police brutality, Mass/school shootings, Genocide, Gore, and Death

Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexism, and Misogyny

Minor: Suicide and Rape

sara277's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.25

To me this book is the definition of “raw”. It’s honest and brutal with descriptions of violence and rotten corpses. It’s also beautiful at times, and very very sad. 
Human Acts is a window to a very dark chapter of Korean history, and learning about it through these characters and the author’s own connections to the massacre is horrible but so important.
I loved that all the stories were connected, not just through the event but through the characters knowing each other. I need to read it again to appreciate those connections better.
Also, wonderful writing, can’t wait to read the Vegetarian.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Physical abuse, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Police brutality, and Sexual violence

marjoleinvanderspoel's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

5.0

Beautiful, blunt and absolutely heartbreaking. A necessary foray into a history that's still relevant today in Korea and worldwide.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Confinement, Gun violence, Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Violence, and Child death

arieslofi's review against another edition

dark informative inspiring reflective sad fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Child death, Death, Violence, and Torture

dmhl's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

profoundly and hauntingly beautiful. emotionally draining. took so much out of me but i knew i had to finish for Dong-ho’s sake. i will never be the same. 

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 inhaled your breath became a shrine.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Forced institutionalization, Grief, War, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Confinement, Blood, Gun violence, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Death, Police brutality, Body horror, Child death, and Genocide

anh_read's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Anhand verschiedener Charaktere und Perspektiven beschreibt dieser Roman eindrucksvoll die Geschehnisse um Gwangju-Massaker in 1980 und ihre Auswirkungen auf Überlebende und die Angehörigen der Opfer. Da ich zuvor noch nie davon gehört habe, war ich schockiert, mit welcher Brutalität man versucht hat, Demonstrationen zu unterdrücken. 

Es ist definitiv kein einfaches Buch. Man sollte sich definitiv die Triggerwarnungen unbedingt vorher durchlesen. Ansonsten lässt sich das Buch gut und schnell lesen. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, War, Police brutality, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Murder, Physical abuse, Blood, Death, Excrement, Mass/school shootings, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Infertility

Minor: Suicide