How far can humans go to make others feel pain? When do people loose their right to be human?

After The Vegeterian, I decided to read another of Hang Kang's books, and it did not disappoint. The way she delivers every single sentence is impressive to say the least. Every word is so well thought out, that by the end many feelings run around each other inside us.

The book recounts the 1980 Gwangju uprising in South Korea that lead to the assignation of innocent students and the widespread of unjustified violence. The story is told from several points of view of people all involved in the tragedy.

The world Han Kang decided to portray, is a world that lost the meaning of life. It ran away after the first gun shot on an innocent civilian. How can one get it back? Streets are full of ghosts that eco pulled triggers and muffled screams. Humanity slipped away when such atrocious deeds were committed. Indeed, we are confronted with acts so cruel they cannot be defined as human anymore, yet, human beings carried them out with no shame. On the other hand, we see broken bodies that have lost the most inner part of themselves, their souls. They are now empty shells, hanging on to their lives by a thread.

I would recommend this book, but with the right precautions of course. The theme of the book is not one to face lightly. There will be moments when reading itself will become difficult because of how gruesome the actions are. Nevertheless, I do believe that books have the power to make us feel and understand things, assimilate and then react to what we have just read. It is important to know what people have gone through and what history was before us. Moreover, Gwangju is Han Kan's home town and she is directly connected to the events, which gives the story a different feel. She is truly a master in today’s literature and she deserves all the praise she is receiving and will continue to.