kariczs 's review for:

We Do Not Part by Han Kang

4.0

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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the prose in this book, like all of han kang’s works, is beautiful. despite the slow, almost dragging plot, i couldn’t help but find myself immersed in the setting and hear and see the snowy landscape around Kyungha. i flipped to a random page for an example 

A sound like cloth brushing against cloth, like damp clods of soil crumbling between fingers.

the words are incredibly vivid. so maybe this influenced how jarring the actual plot structure felt. we jump from Kyungha’s present to her remembering conversations with Inseon, or scenes from Inseon’s films or Kyungha’s own nightmares. it took me a while to get used to it.

Ultimately, this story picks up A LOT by the end, as we readers learn about the Jeju massacre from the oral retelling of a survivor’s daughter and pierced together newspaper clippings. but as we learn more facts, the reality of Kyungha’s night blurs. this story is a mix of magical realism, ghost story, historic remembrance, and investigative journalism. which now that i think about it, makes sense for the subject matter.