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A review by rarasreads
Human Acts by Han Kang
4.0
This was a gut wrenching, visceral collection of interlinked short stories about different individuals who are connected to a young boy and their harrowing experiences in 1980s South Korea. By far, “The Boy’s Mother” was my favorite chapter with its emotive description and sorrow that one can feel emanating from the pages.
Prior to reading this book, I had little to no knowledge on the Gwangju Uprising so I appreciated learning more about this historically tragic event. I felt that the epilogue was also a nice addition to the story as it appears to be a nonfiction account of the author’s own motivation, thought process, and efforts undertaken to research Dong-Ho’s life to thus share it with the world.
This was not an easy read and contains some graphic descriptions of violence, although it serves the purpose of Kang’s writing here - to showcase the pain and suffering that humans are capable of inflicting upon each other.
Prior to reading this book, I had little to no knowledge on the Gwangju Uprising so I appreciated learning more about this historically tragic event. I felt that the epilogue was also a nice addition to the story as it appears to be a nonfiction account of the author’s own motivation, thought process, and efforts undertaken to research Dong-Ho’s life to thus share it with the world.
This was not an easy read and contains some graphic descriptions of violence, although it serves the purpose of Kang’s writing here - to showcase the pain and suffering that humans are capable of inflicting upon each other.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, and Murder