Human Acts by Han Kang

5/5 rating 

Genre: Historical Fiction, Contemporary Literature

Trigger Warnings: Descriptions of decomposing bodies, profanity, strong descriptions of acts of violence, mentions of sexual assault, mentions of depression. 

"After you died I could not hold a funeral, And so my life became a funeral" (Kang 101).

As small as this book is, the content within it proves that it is not a light read. This book is a story I would recommend to anyone interested in history. 

The heart wrenching true story of Dong-ho is told through the perspective of many individuals. Through these six stories, readers begin to truly understand the pain and desires of those that lived through the Gwangju Uprising. As readers see through the eyes of Dong-ho's best friend, an editor, a prisoner, a factory worker, and even Dong-ho's mother, their hearts are taken through a vortex of emotions. With the inclusion of the sixth point of view, the writer, it allows to see how Han Kang wrote this book with respect to the family of Dong-ho. 

"I grasped your hand and tugged you forward, toward the head of the column, while you muttered to yourself in black incomprehension, our soldiers are shooting. They're shooting at us" (Kang 61).

For a country that is so passionate about being supportive and in love with their nation/government, this was seen as a betraying act. Young men are sent/forced to become soldiers, and putting their whole faith into these men. The betraying feeling of the thing you value most, is devastating, especially when that thing is killing you. Han Kang does a very tasteful thing by creating this hypothetical character's perspective through the best friend. While it could be called hypothetical, the history of the Gwangju Uprising is not.

Those who don't understand the emotions these characters may experience first hand, do well to understand just the tip of the iceberg through this book. Those who understand the history of the Gwangju Uprising, feel a sort of eerie feeling when reading these words. This violent time within Korea's history is not muted with Kang's words. She leaves nothing out in the unspeakable acts while questioning how humans could do such things. 

I would not recommend this book to the light-hearted or those who have uneasy stomachs. There are many moments when readers can all agree, they have taken a moment to sit back and process the content. Even others admitting they grew nauseous at times when reading these words. However, for those who enjoyed this book, I would recommend viewing the Korean movie Taxi Driver. This movie brings out many aspects of truth within the Gwangju Uprising through a perspective of one foreigner and one citizen of Korea.

Han Kang has become, hands down, one of my favorite authors. The literary devices and writing styles she chooses really are engrossing and favorable for those who are reading. Every paragraph she wrote was captivating. There are many quotes I will be storing for later within these pages. Many being writing techniques I will study and understand.

One tool that Han Kang used in diversity was italics. They are used in many ways such as:

1. Thoughts. Within most books, italics show what the speaker/main character is thinking. Kang did not differ from that in this case.
2. Memories. Words once spoken by another. These distant words shown just as distant as italics can be.
3. Song lyrics. This translation brings the inner most thoughts of the characters more drawn out. It echoes in the soul of the readers, as they read the lyrics to beloved songs for these college students.
4. Thing read. Italics here are used as flashback sequences of sorts. This is a beautiful technique to incorporate words without having prolonged dialogue.
5. Transitions of the Point of View. This was used mainly in the middle of chapters. Using this strategy allows greater insight to the character's thoughts. In the case of chapter five, these are the thoughts of the reader.
6. Someone speaking. While Kang still used quotations for conversations, sometimes she would used italics. However, it felt to have another use than just dialogue. When the italics were used it made it seem like a letter was being written to the reader. Readers were reading letters written to them, but in a way that it sounded like someone speaking to them. A very beautifully executed technique.

Kang used other literary devices including dreams to exemplify aspects of the events. As mentioned, she wrote this book with respect to the family and the victims in the Gwangju Uprising. Overall, from the writing style to the story telling, I truly enjoyed this novel.