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A review by jenniey3
Human Acts by Han Kang
2.0
I had pretty high hopes for this book and the premise was certainly interesting. It piqued my interest and I learned some South Korean history (albeit after some additional digging around online for context).
However the execution was horrendous. Split up into 6 parts, the narration is difficult to follow and the writing style is not fluid. Kang also utilizes the second person. Why?! Extreme mental gymnastics is required to figure out what the hell is going on. But it’s possible that the translator, Deborah Smith, also may have botched some wordings. For the most part, the book was definitely a slog. I felt like I was forcing myself through parts.
The government’s violent response to the Gwanju uprising was horrific, yet Kang delivers the story rather impersonally. Overall I feel like it was a massively missed opportunity, but I do appreciate her bringing this historical event to light.
Will probably not read anything else by Kang, especially if Deborah is the translator.
However the execution was horrendous. Split up into 6 parts, the narration is difficult to follow and the writing style is not fluid. Kang also utilizes the second person. Why?! Extreme mental gymnastics is required to figure out what the hell is going on. But it’s possible that the translator, Deborah Smith, also may have botched some wordings. For the most part, the book was definitely a slog. I felt like I was forcing myself through parts.
The government’s violent response to the Gwanju uprising was horrific, yet Kang delivers the story rather impersonally. Overall I feel like it was a massively missed opportunity, but I do appreciate her bringing this historical event to light.
Will probably not read anything else by Kang, especially if Deborah is the translator.