bluelien wrote a review...
I appreciate this book for what it did. I wish I enjoyed it more but unfortunately I found it a boring book.
bluelien finished a book

I Who Have Never Known Men
Jacqueline Harpman
Post from the I Who Have Never Known Men forum
bluelien commented on Anemone's review of Human Acts
Having had no prior knowledge of the Gwangju uprising, I really appreciated learning about it an atypical way, considering the events of May 1980 and the aftermath from multiple perspectives. From the writing style, the switching narratives to the non linear aspect, perfection. Part unputdownable, part mental health break inducing.
"What had proved most incomprehensible was that this bloodshed had been committed again and again, and with no attempt to bring the perpetrators before the authorities. Acts of violence committed in broad daylight without hesitation and without regret." How can you reconcile the fact that the military brutalised the people it was supposed to protect? How can this kind of violence against unarmed civilians be state-sanctioned and go unacknowledged for years? These are reoccurring themes throughout the novel.
For a book that drowns you in despair, trauma and grief, I'm glad it ends on a slightly more hopeful tone (only slightly mind you) reminding us of our agency, dignity and resilience to resist, to endure and to rebuild.
Post from the I Who Have Never Known Men forum
bluelien commented on karalou's update
Post from the Home Is Where the Bodies Are forum
bluelien started reading...

Home Is Where the Bodies Are
Jeneva Rose
bluelien TBR'd a book

The Vanishing Cherry Blossom Bookshop
Takuya Asakura
bluelien TBR'd a book

What You Are Looking For Is in the Library
Michiko Aoyama
Post from the White Nights forum