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lucybbookstuff 's review for:
Human Acts
by Han Kang
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
I am absolutely depleted. That is quite possibly the most devastating book I've ever read.
The combination of the horrific, senseless event and Han Kang's mastery of her craft (and of course, the beautiful work of the translator, Deborah Smith) made for an incredibly affecting reading experience.
The prose was gorgeous. The theme exploration was brilliant - it touched on so many things, but what really stood out to me were the contemplations of soul vs. body (what happens to a soul without a body and vice versa), the psychology of crowds, bravery and cruelty, guilt and shame and conscience. Between the prose and theme work, I used up at least 30 tabs marking passages in this 200 page book.
The storytelling was also so masterful and unique. The blending of POV techniques was so effective. I also loved how each chapter focused on a different character, and these chapters all built on each other and were connected in ways that were both devastating and exciting to discover. All while painting a horrifyingly vivid picture of not only this one event in South Korean history, but the atmosphere that led to it, and the grief that it caused, both on a national and individual level.
(And here I have to mention that I didn't even know South Korea had such a violent history of its own. I obviously know somewhat about North Korea, and about the many decades of colonization and subjugation. But I had no clue things ever got this bad in South Korea after the division. Just constantly embarrassed these days by how little I learned in school.)
Despite its short length and readability, I found I could not, under any circumstances, binge this book. Each different POV hit so hard, especially after the ones that came before it. I could only read 1 or 2 chapters per day before having to put it down and process the horror. (Granted, the book only has 7 chapters, so it still only took a few days.)
An absolutely beautiful, heart shattering read. Check triggers PLEASE, but after that, I think anyone who can should read this.
I can't really explain why it doesn't get the full 5. It is an objectively great book. Just didn't quite reach that 5-star gut feeling.
The combination of the horrific, senseless event and Han Kang's mastery of her craft (and of course, the beautiful work of the translator, Deborah Smith) made for an incredibly affecting reading experience.
The prose was gorgeous. The theme exploration was brilliant - it touched on so many things, but what really stood out to me were the contemplations of soul vs. body (what happens to a soul without a body and vice versa), the psychology of crowds, bravery and cruelty, guilt and shame and conscience. Between the prose and theme work, I used up at least 30 tabs marking passages in this 200 page book.
The storytelling was also so masterful and unique. The blending of POV techniques was so effective. I also loved how each chapter focused on a different character, and these chapters all built on each other and were connected in ways that were both devastating and exciting to discover. All while painting a horrifyingly vivid picture of not only this one event in South Korean history, but the atmosphere that led to it, and the grief that it caused, both on a national and individual level.
(And here I have to mention that I didn't even know South Korea had such a violent history of its own. I obviously know somewhat about North Korea, and about the many decades of colonization and subjugation. But I had no clue things ever got this bad in South Korea after the division. Just constantly embarrassed these days by how little I learned in school.)
Despite its short length and readability, I found I could not, under any circumstances, binge this book. Each different POV hit so hard, especially after the ones that came before it. I could only read 1 or 2 chapters per day before having to put it down and process the horror. (Granted, the book only has 7 chapters, so it still only took a few days.)
An absolutely beautiful, heart shattering read. Check triggers PLEASE, but after that, I think anyone who can should read this.
I can't really explain why it doesn't get the full 5. It is an objectively great book. Just didn't quite reach that 5-star gut feeling.