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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
usually, i'm not a fan of such imagistic books; for instance, i thought Bluets was too fragmented a text for me, not helped by the numbered list, to sustain any kind of connection with it
yet, what Bluets lacks in terms of a binding thread The White Book finds in this - regret. even as Han Kang sifts through the various glimpses of white in her life, that lingering odour of death and guilt stalks her vision. it doesn't matter that her musings may be fractured or sporadic, because that's how grief works - it haunts you at your happiest moments and offers strange comfort at your worst. Han Kang finds death in butterfly wings and grace in wrapped sugarcubes - and i didn't find myself confused or lost at all
the following paragraphs around the start spoke to me a lot:
"Even the smallest task is left suspended as I concentrate on simply enduring the pain, sensing time's discrete drops as razor-sharp gemstones, grazing my fingertips. One deep breath drawn in and this new moment of life takes shape as distinctly as a bead of blood. Even once I have stepped back into the flow, one day melding seamlessly into another, that sensation remains ever there in that spot, waiting, breath held.
Each moment is a leap forward from the brink of an invisible cliff, where time's keen edges are constantly renewed. We lift our foot from the solid ground of all our life lived thus far and take that perilous step out into the empty air. Not because we can claim any particular courage, but because there is no other way. Now, in this moment, I feel that vertiginous thrill course through me. As I step recklessly into time I have not yet lived, into this book I have not yet written."
yet, what Bluets lacks in terms of a binding thread The White Book finds in this - regret. even as Han Kang sifts through the various glimpses of white in her life, that lingering odour of death and guilt stalks her vision. it doesn't matter that her musings may be fractured or sporadic, because that's how grief works - it haunts you at your happiest moments and offers strange comfort at your worst. Han Kang finds death in butterfly wings and grace in wrapped sugarcubes - and i didn't find myself confused or lost at all
the following paragraphs around the start spoke to me a lot:
"Even the smallest task is left suspended as I concentrate on simply enduring the pain, sensing time's discrete drops as razor-sharp gemstones, grazing my fingertips. One deep breath drawn in and this new moment of life takes shape as distinctly as a bead of blood. Even once I have stepped back into the flow, one day melding seamlessly into another, that sensation remains ever there in that spot, waiting, breath held.
Each moment is a leap forward from the brink of an invisible cliff, where time's keen edges are constantly renewed. We lift our foot from the solid ground of all our life lived thus far and take that perilous step out into the empty air. Not because we can claim any particular courage, but because there is no other way. Now, in this moment, I feel that vertiginous thrill course through me. As I step recklessly into time I have not yet lived, into this book I have not yet written."
emotional
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"Há certas memórias que se mantêm imunes à erosão do tempo. E do sofrimento. Por isso, não é afinal verdadeiro que tudo seja deturpado pelo tempo e pelo sofrimento. Nem é verdade que tudo se perca ou seja destruído."
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
This was a beautiful, lyrical exploration of grief, mourning, and the way that colour as a symbol can help us make sense of the world. Of the handful of books centering on colour that I’ve read, I think The White Book does this best.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Child death, Death
there’s a profound loneliness to these words, with some of the thoughts asking for a little more expansion
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.7*
sinto que se não fossem as palavras difíceis eu teria me conectado um pouco mais. só que ainda assim, é uma obra tão pessoal, tão particular, que eu tenho certeza de que jamais seria capaz de entender o sentimento da autora. muito, muito lindo.
vou colocar minhas citações favoritas aqui em breve.
sinto que se não fossem as palavras difíceis eu teria me conectado um pouco mais. só que ainda assim, é uma obra tão pessoal, tão particular, que eu tenho certeza de que jamais seria capaz de entender o sentimento da autora. muito, muito lindo.
vou colocar minhas citações favoritas aqui em breve.