Human Acts
Paperback Published on: 07/01/2016
Price: £12.99
Bookseller Reviews
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Affecting & thought-provoking!
You'll probably need a long sit down after this. It's a pretty serious book. It does not paint a pretty picture - but it does call on us to remember, and l... READ MORE
bleak and brilliant
I absolutely loved this book.
The book is set in South Korea and follows the experiences of young people killed by, or witnesses of, government troops sup... READ MORE
Striking
This book leaves you in a very serious mood. You lose all sense of humour and the ability for light - hearted chatter for a little while after reading. Des... READ MORE
Han Hang NEVER fails to amaze, break and mend me.
Han Hang NEVER fails to amaze, break and mend me.
Human Acts is a heart wrenching, interconnected story narrating the Gwangju student uprising in 1980 So... READ MORE
Synopsis
Gwangju, South Korea, 1980. In the wake of a viciously suppressed student uprising, a boy searches for his friend's corpse, a consciousness searches for its abandoned body, and a brutalised country searches for a voice. In a sequence of interconnected chapters the victims and the bereaved encounter censorship, denial, forgiveness and the echoing agony of the original trauma.
Human Acts is a universal book, utterly modern and profoundly timeless. Already a controversial bestseller and award-winning book in Korea, it confirms Han Kang as a writer of immense importance.
Publisher information
- Publisher: Granta Books
- ISBN: 9781846275968
- Number of pages: 224
- Dimensions: 217 x 136 x 16 mm
- Weight: 232g
Customer Reviews
View allExtraordinary
Before reading this book I had read the Vegetarian, Han Kang's previous novel, and thoroughly enjoyed the wackiness of its imagery as well as the darkness ... READ MORE
Poignant
I came to read this book knowing nothing of the South Korean uprising, and I was stunned at how brutal it must have been. The beautiful poetic style of Han... READ MORE
Horrifying but amazing
We read this at bookclub and, for the first time ever, it was loved by everyone - though everyone took something different from it. Han Kang (and her trans... READ MORE
A Harrowing Masterpiece
"When a living person looks at a dead person, mightn’t the person’s soul also be there by its body’s side, looking down at its own face?"
As someone who... READ MORE
Haunting
A very strong read from Kang, although it did take me forever to finish. I think the story is very profound and important, and Kang does a great job at bri... READ MORE