Reviews

Menschenwerk by Han Kang

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bookonarooftop's review against another edition

4.75

The books I read by Han Kang so far all, read like non-fiction. I like her writing style and I believe the translation did an amazing job.

Human Acts is inspired by the Gwangju Democratic Movement that occurred on May 18, 1980. It is one of the most significant events in Korea's contemporary history and it has paved the way for democracy.

For people who love Kang's writing and who would like to learn about the contemporary history of Korea, this book is a must.

The writing style is quite similar to "The Vegetarian", as Han moves from one narrator to another and tends to change the point of view, frequently addressing unnamed "You". "YOU" mostly is a reader but occasionally it's character before and after a traumatic event. The dislocation becomes quite visible when Jeong-dae's soul converses with his rotten flash.

The book dives into topics such as grief, guilt, injustice, and brutality. And makes us wonder "What makes us human? What is humanity?"

I loved everything about it and there is no "BUT" I can think about.

What makes this book so special for me is hidden within the title: Human Acts - What Makes Act Human is that it is voluntary; it's a decision made by our own will. It's up to us to fight for things we believe in; it's up to us to face injustice.

I think one of messages Han tried to deliver through book is that we should not forget what happened. We must not stay silent, we must not try to hide the past just because we are ashamed of it. That's how we make sure painful historical events don't repeat itself

yars_reading_corner's review against another edition

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5.0

Until the very end I was comforting myself by hoping none of it was true but even more gruesome than the stories is perhaps the fact they're all true and happened not only in South Korea but also in other countries, anyways let's hope no pig dictator ever rules any country.

Honestly I will be brutal to Japanese lit, it's improper and childish and pale compared to Korean lit, this is no favoritism, but every Korean book I've stumbled upon had a deeper message and was heavy but evidence to the events that have happened, when I think about the Japanese ones...they're not only immature but also lack creativity and generational trauma and heartbreak that makes historical books actually meaningful and not redundant!

Content warning: there's so many from hate speech to body horror to torture and rape, if you get triggered by these don't come near Human Acts.

almabritta's review against another edition

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5.0

Den här boken tömde mig på ord och lät tysta tårar strila med för mina kinder. Han Kang visar att det inte behövs stora ord för att förmedla känsla. Tvärtom, det så bräckligt ärliga ligger i det simpla språket som är oerhört varsamt skrivet.

De olika perspektiven ger oss en inblick under massakern och i efterdyningarna av survivors guilt, trauma och existensiella kriser som blir för de överlevande. Boken är delvis skriven i du-form vilket gör att DU är pojken.

En själ som pratar, ett slag som aldrig kommer, kylan som aldrig försvinner, ett ihop-lappat liv, en sörjande mamma och själar som flyger som fåglar.

Det här är ett så jävla vackert mästerverk!

meirysza's review against another edition

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4.0

“How had the seasons kept on turning for me, when time had stopped forever for him that May?”

Doa untuk yang ditinggalkan dan menjalani kehidupan penuh siksaan sepanjang sisa umurnya.