Write Out Loud (Reviews and Writing)

“…Han Kang does write beautifully… However, I find this to be surface-level at best. The characters feel two dimensional…”

I ended up reading Han Kang’s revered novel as a result of both my wife and daughter haranguing me for months, insisting that I ought to (because it was ‘brilliant’), followed by discovering the book listed in The Guardian’s 100 Great Novels list. There comes a point when you know the universe is conspiring against you and you might as well stop fighting and let it win.

After finishing the book, however, I did feel the universe had been a little capricious. This was a fascinating story in many ways but far from the ‘best thing ever’ kind of category both my family and the top news media critics claim it to be. Don’t get me wrong. This is well written and, in many ways, intriguing and beautiful in equal measure. Han Kang – even in translated form and with only a toehold of understanding of Korean culture – is a writer of real quality, so if you like this kind of style then I’m pretty certain you will love her other material as well.

The novel revolves around the central character of Yeong-hye who, one day, decides she must stop eating meat to lead, ultimately, a more ‘plant-like’ existence. What occurs after this is told through the eyes of three supporting characters: her husband, the husband of her sister and the sister herself. We are drip-fed a world of abuse, taboos, sexuality and shared secrets as Yeong-hye seems to descend further into madness.

I can only assume that it was Han Kang’s deliberate choice that the one voice we don’t really get to hear is Yeong-hye’s own. Almost the whole book is told through the eyes of the other characters who are, frankly, not that great. I feel very much that the whole lot of them just needed a damned good shaking and told to get a grip. Yet there is real trauma to Yeong-hye’s life and it is difficult to work out at just what point her mental health starts declining. In the first section – told from her husband’s point of view – I very much felt she was the most sane person in the room – literally, at one point. Why then not give us her narrative? Better minds than mine will no doubt have an answer but I find it the most fascinating part of the book, as well as the most frustrating. I can understand the idea that the main character isn’t allowed a voice – and therefore her own free will – but if you’re going to write a story about it, give us characters that allow us to explore this.

Han Kang does write beautifully and the fact we spend so much time in the heads of the characters does give a sense of saying something deep about the human condition. However, I find this to be surface-level at best. The characters feel two dimensional to me and the real meat (pun intended) of the traumas and issues raised in the story always fail to really be discussed. We get glimpses and shadows; nothing more.

That said, some of the imagery has remained in my head and certain scenes have mentally replayed, suggesting to me that my litmus test of caring about the characters has been met to some extent. I find this world – one that is steeped in wealthy middle class Korean culture – too cold for me and too reserved. Despite that, I have sympathy for Yeong-hye – at times great sympathy indeed – but I can’t help but feel that this is not how such things play out in real life.

I can see why Han Kang has the following that she does and I can also see why people I know enjoy her writing. I certainly felt content to read the novel, even if I was forever hoping that some kind of revelation or climax would occur to help me make sense of what I was reading and why I was reading it. That moment never arrived and I finished the book satisfied with the journey but not in a rush to pick up another novel by the same author. I’m certainly not saying never again, but I need more than gentle and beautiful prose to make another trip worthwhile.

My Verdict:

Social Entrepreneur, educationalist, bestselling author and journalist, D K Powell is the author of the bestselling collection of literary short stories “The Old Man on the Beach“. His first book, ‘Sonali’ is a photo-memoir journal of life in Bangladesh and has been highly praised by the Bangladeshi diaspora worldwide. Students learning the Bengali language have also valued the English/Bengali translations on every page. His third book is ‘Try not to Laugh’ and is a guide to memorising, revising and passing exams for students.

Both ‘The Old Man on the Beach’ and ‘Sonali’ are available on Amazon for kindle and paperback. Published by Shopno Sriti Media. The novel,’The Pukur’, was published by Histria Books in 2022.

D K Powell is available to speak at events (see his TEDx talk here) and can be contacted at dkpowell.contact@gmail.com. Alternatively, he is available for one-to-one mentoring and runs a course on the psychology of writing. Listen to his life story in interview with the BBC here.

Ken writes for a number of publications around the world. Past reviewer for Paste magazine, The Doughnut, E2D and United Airways and Lancashire Life magazine. Currently reviews for Northern Arts Review. His reviews have been read more than 7.9 million times.

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