Scan barcode
eva_vva's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Mental illness, Sexism, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Infertility, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Excrement, Medical trauma, and Sexual harassment
lynxpardinus's review
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cancer, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Excrement, Vomit, Medical trauma, and Death of parent
Minor: Genocide
anh_read's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Es ist definitiv kein einfaches Buch. Man sollte sich definitiv die Triggerwarnungen unbedingt vorher durchlesen. Ansonsten lässt sich das Buch gut und schnell lesen.
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Police brutality, Mass/school shootings, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Infertility
Minor: Suicide
claireh6's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Excrement, Police brutality, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Drug abuse
seulgireads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Body horror, Cursing, Gun violence, Infertility, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Mass/school shootings, and Alcohol
Minor: Cancer, Self harm, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, and Vomit
somelibrarychick's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Police brutality, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
literaryjunarin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Deeply upsetting, and painfully brutal, Han Kang laid out different stories from victims of the Gwangju Uprising in South Korea, in 1980.
I loved the second-person narrative instantly. It made my reading experience much more immersive. At one point, I actually felt the sweat trickling down my back as was described in the book. That sounds weird, but anyway. As much as I loved the narration style, it also made the torture and oppression feel more painful.
My favorite story would be The Boy's Friend. I was so invested in reading the point of view of a soul, and not a living character. It was so dark and unsettling. However, The Boy's Mother chapter is so heart-wrenching. All the mother's reminiscings of his dead son made me cry so much I could hardly read thru my tears.
Han Kang has this special way of writing about bodies, deaths, and souls. I enjoyed The Vegetarian but this book is on a whole another level.
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Excrement, Police brutality, and Grief
lowercase_em's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infertility, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
ksenie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Mass/school shootings, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and Excrement
rieviolet's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I really loved the writing style, I think it struck a very good balance between direct/matter-of-fact and poetic. A lot of scenes deeply moved me and I can still picture them so vividly in my mind because the author crafted them with such powerful and evocative words.
One of the things that I appreciated the most was the choice to include different point of views. It was so very interesting to follow the story through different eyes and I think that the author did a really good job at inhabiting the characters.
Each chapter includes and expands on a character that we have already briefly met before in the story; I think it is a very artful narrative choice and it will certainly make for a meaningful re-read, once one is already aware of all the interconnections. I also really loved the final chapter from the author's POV.
As you can see from the long list of trigger warnings, the author does not shy away from the more graphic details of those horrific events. Not once while reading, I thought that it is was overdone just for the sake of it, it is simply an honest depiction of brutal happenings, but please keep that in mind and look after yourself.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Mental illness, Sexism, Suicide, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Infertility and Terminal illness