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A review by rieviolet
Non dico addio by Han Kang
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I am deeply enamoured with Han Kang's writing style, I don't know if I can do it justice with my clumsy review. Her prose might seem deceptively plain but it is so poetic and limpid; she can paint a scene, a place or even an emotion so vividly that I can conjure it in my mind with absolute clarity. Her words can make fascinating and meaningful even the most ordinary aspects of life; I doubt that I could sit through so many descriptions of snow if she wasn't the one writing them.
Most importantly, her writing can make me feel deeply and, by the time I got to the final pages, I couldn't help but be affected and teary-eyed.
We slowly discover the story of Inseon's family and the tragic events that befell the inhabitants of Jeju but, from beginning to end, the story maintains a very dreamlike quality. By the end, there aren't straightforward answers or clear-cut explanations about what happend to Inseon and our narrator GyeongÂ-ha and about how their future will shape up to be, but I didn't mind it. I felt like the path we got to explore was worthwhile and satisfying enough, even without knowing what is real and what is imaginary, or what lies ahead.
I also found really fascinating that both GyeongÂ-ha and Inseon were creators (through different media: writing, filmmaking, even woodworking) trying to give a voice to the unheard and keep alive the flame of memory.
In the afterword Han Kang wrote "I want to believe that this is a book about love at its utmost" (translation by me). This is a heavy and harrowing book that doesn't shy away from depicting the worst of humanity, but I could feel the counterbalancing love, so profound and unshakeable; it shines brightly in the bonds of the characters and in the reverberations between past, present and future.
Most importantly, her writing can make me feel deeply and, by the time I got to the final pages, I couldn't help but be affected and teary-eyed.
We slowly discover the story of Inseon's family and the tragic events that befell the inhabitants of Jeju but, from beginning to end, the story maintains a very dreamlike quality. By the end, there aren't straightforward answers or clear-cut explanations about what happend to Inseon and our narrator GyeongÂ-ha and about how their future will shape up to be, but I didn't mind it. I felt like the path we got to explore was worthwhile and satisfying enough, even without knowing what is real and what is imaginary, or what lies ahead.
I also found really fascinating that both GyeongÂ-ha and Inseon were creators (through different media: writing, filmmaking, even woodworking) trying to give a voice to the unheard and keep alive the flame of memory.
In the afterword Han Kang wrote "I want to believe that this is a book about love at its utmost" (translation by me). This is a heavy and harrowing book that doesn't shy away from depicting the worst of humanity, but I could feel the counterbalancing love, so profound and unshakeable; it shines brightly in the bonds of the characters and in the reverberations between past, present and future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Torture, Dementia, Fire/Fire injury, Deportation
Minor: Gore, Misogyny, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Death of parent, War