Reviews tagging 'Rape'

Ihmisen teot by Han Kang

74 reviews

arieslofi's review against another edition

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dark informative inspiring reflective sad fast-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? It's complicated

5.0


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kenyoncannotread's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

One of the hardest reads for me, emotionally, ever. Check the content warnings first, but this will be one of the best books you’ll ever read if you pick it up.

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wong_jyi's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

It is stunning in its ability to weave the darkest and cruellest aspects of human nature with truth and brutal honesty, but also, with hope.

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minary's review against another edition

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dark sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0


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ayaminerva's review against another edition

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dark informative reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

After you died, I couldn't hold a funeral.
So these eyes that once beheld you became a shrine.
These ears that once heard your voice became a shrine.
These lungs that once inhaled your breath became a shrine.
The flowers that bloom in spring, the willows, the raindrops and snowflakes became shrines.
The mornings ushering in each day, the evenings that daily darken, became shrines.
---------------------

Han Kang weaves their history through the lens of the aftermath. She gives weight to stories behind the frontline and highlights the convoluted relationship of loss and memory, particularly those of survivors, especially those of survivors.

Standout pieces for me were The Editor, The Boy's Friend, and The Factory Girl.

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tivvny's review against another edition

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challenging dark informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Han Kang digs into the wounds left in the aftermath of the Gwangju Uprising, exploring not only the brutality and inhumanity that we are all capable of, but also the human acts of hope, courage and resilience that we can aspire to achieve. Human Acts carefully blends historical fiction and a tiny bit of speculative fiction to illuminate different voices that strive to speak the same truth, individually shaped by the unique (though also not-so-unique, highlighting the sheer number of victims of the crackdown on university and high school students during this period) experiences faced by the characters in the story. Although the time we get with each character is short, this does not detract from the impact and power of their stories - you deeply feel for the hardships experienced by the survivors (and victims) of the uprising, their anger, and their pain. The shocking revelations and unanticipated bombs characteristic of Han Kang are effective in not only emphasising the cruelty in these moments but the tragedy they invoke. I struggled with Han Kang's The Vegetarian due to the prose falling in and out of metaphors and elusive language, but Human Acts I think perfectly blends Han Kang's style with more straightforward language which helped maintain my focus and attention (this may be in part reflective of the Gwangju dialect that Han Kang integrated into some of the perspectives as noted by the translator). In short, a great pageturner that uncovers a part of history that you may not have encountered before, and though essentially an overwhelmingly dark read, it provides a sliver of hope that reflects the vicissitudes of our own humanity. 



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panicpoet's review against another edition

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4.5


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areen's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative reflective sad
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character

5.0

this was a masterpiece. the way han kang captured different kinds of people being affected by the uprising in such a vivid way was incredible. the 2nd story left me speechless.

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cyberhavok's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75


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abbyarm's review against another edition

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sad tense medium-paced

3.75


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