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Assassins and the masterminds behind them for today‘s reading.

The Vegetarian is very moving and intriguing. The narrative is told from 3 separate perspectives offering a complete exploration of trauma, emotional breakdown and mental strain. Is Yeong-hye mad or is her behaviour a logical conclusion of the society she‘s been subjected to? There are elements I didn‘t fully understand but it still left a powerful impression. 7/10

4/5 🌟

This short, intriguing and brilliantly crafted novel follows a family's grief after the brutal murder of a young girl, told through three perspectives. As the victim's sister seeks closure years later, the story reveals the impact and consequences left behind.

“I've got a neighbor who blacks out after a night out drinking. Maybe death is a stiff drink that helps you forget the boring night out that is your life.“
-“Diary of a Murderer“

“Words are slowly escaping me. My head is turning into a sea cucumber. A hole is opening up. It's slimy and everything escapes through it.“
-“Diary of a Murderer“

A woman has become mute. She has lost her husband, teaching job, and custody of her 8-yr-old son. Lost herself, she takes a course in Ancient Greek taught by an instructor about her age who is losing his sight. Somehow a gentle warm story comes out of this, layered onto of darker histories and life pains, and terrific interesting prose. This completes my two week run through Han‘s four English-translated novels. (Another is due out in January)

Han begins with a room of unclaimed corpses. South Korea has a dark history. In May 1980, in response to a coup, university students and young female factory workers joined to inspire an uprising in Gwangju, a university town. The government responded with an intentionally brutal crackdown and massacre. Han, a born in Gwangju, is uncharacteristically direct here, and brings us to the crackdown and to its long aftermath. It‘s an important book.

Drawing from true events, this book smacks the reader in the face with graphic brutality from the word go and shows how that violence reverberates across the lives of those involved for decades. I knew nothing about this event from 1980 and I‘m glad I read this, though it wasn‘t an easy read. Phenomenal book.