Take a photo of a barcode or cover
reflective
fast-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
A fragile thing of beauty. Gossamer light. Not brittle by any means, but slight all the same, oh so slight, which is why I gave it 4 stars rather than the full complement as with her previous 2 books. Size may not be everything, but it does count for something.
Impressions, images, metaphors inspired by the colour white. Clouds, snow, white yulan flowers, the white fur of a dog, swaddling cloth and cere sheets/ burial shrouds, especially when the swaddling cloth is converted into a cere sheet for a baby that dies after just two hours of birth that permeates the whole book. The white of baby milk, expressed for the first time only after the premature born baby has died, so again barren whiteness associated with death. Death is normally associated with the colour black, or rather the absence of colour that is black. Here death is marked by whiteness, allowing for some hope of shoots of new life. Think the yin yang symbol where the white has a dot of black in its midst, while the black contains a dot of white and you have the essence of this book - white as "rejuvenation, revivification... Because white flowers have to do with life? Or with death? She'd read somewhere that the words 'blank' and 'blanc', 'black' and even 'flame' literally 'fire flower' in Korean, all have the same root in Indo-European languages".
The lyricism was sumptuous, but slight. An appetiser rather than a feast.
Impressions, images, metaphors inspired by the colour white. Clouds, snow, white yulan flowers, the white fur of a dog, swaddling cloth and cere sheets/ burial shrouds, especially when the swaddling cloth is converted into a cere sheet for a baby that dies after just two hours of birth that permeates the whole book. The white of baby milk, expressed for the first time only after the premature born baby has died, so again barren whiteness associated with death. Death is normally associated with the colour black, or rather the absence of colour that is black. Here death is marked by whiteness, allowing for some hope of shoots of new life. Think the yin yang symbol where the white has a dot of black in its midst, while the black contains a dot of white and you have the essence of this book - white as "rejuvenation, revivification... Because white flowers have to do with life? Or with death? She'd read somewhere that the words 'blank' and 'blanc', 'black' and even 'flame' literally 'fire flower' in Korean, all have the same root in Indo-European languages".
The lyricism was sumptuous, but slight. An appetiser rather than a feast.
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Possibly the most beautiful book I have ever read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is an exquisite book, each short section a jewel of memory and reflection. The subtle callbacks to earlier images and moments weave together to create a gentle, fragmentary memorial of a life unlived and another lived in its (white) shadow. To quote the book itself: "This vanishing fragility, this oppressive weight of beauty." For lovers of language (I read it in translation, so kudos to translator Deborah Smith) and those who enjoy savouring observational but deeply felt writing about the human spirit.
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
As formally dynamic as the language it contains, Han Kang’s exploration of grief here is one for the ages. So much intimacy, yet we’re still distant enough to maintain a sense of reflection
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
dark
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
Sivun pituisia tarinoita, runoja muistuttavia mininovelleja. Kaunis ja koskettava.