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A review by ladybugwrites
Human Acts by Han Kang
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
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
5.0
I am a mess.
This book grabs you from the start and does not let go until the very end. Han Kang's beautiful writing leaves you an utter emotional mess because every passage, every story, every sentence, is enough to open a wound in your heart that will not close.
I wasn't expecting the second person the book opens with, but immediately thought it a good choice. As were the choices of alternating between first, second, and third pov throughout the book. It hits even harder, that opening chapter when you realise that it's written as a letter to the dead. On the back of my edition, a quote from the Sunday Telegraph reads: 'A conversation of which we rarely hear both sides: the living talking to the dead, and the dead speaking back.' It's in itself, a summary of the book.
I already knew about the Gwanju uprising, without a lot of information about it, but no matter what I could've prepared myself for, I would've still been left an utter mess. This is one of the most heartbreaking books I have ever read, only made even greater by the fact that it's a true story.
It's only been a few minutes since I put it down and started writing this. My heart is pounding, my mind is blank, and I don't think that will be over any time soon. This book will stay with me for a long time.
This book grabs you from the start and does not let go until the very end. Han Kang's beautiful writing leaves you an utter emotional mess because every passage, every story, every sentence, is enough to open a wound in your heart that will not close.
I wasn't expecting the second person the book opens with, but immediately thought it a good choice. As were the choices of alternating between first, second, and third pov throughout the book. It hits even harder, that opening chapter when you realise that it's written as a letter to the dead. On the back of my edition, a quote from the Sunday Telegraph reads: 'A conversation of which we rarely hear both sides: the living talking to the dead, and the dead speaking back.' It's in itself, a summary of the book.
I already knew about the Gwanju uprising, without a lot of information about it, but no matter what I could've prepared myself for, I would've still been left an utter mess. This is one of the most heartbreaking books I have ever read, only made even greater by the fact that it's a true story.
It's only been a few minutes since I put it down and started writing this. My heart is pounding, my mind is blank, and I don't think that will be over any time soon. This book will stay with me for a long time.