Han Kang: Witness Literature

A new genre to me: Witness literature - stories and narratives that reflect a writer's knowledge and experience of world shattering events that require "mourning and healing".  

In December 2001, the Swedish Academy organized a symposium on the theme of “Witness Literature”. Speakers from Asia, Africa and Europe included three Nobel laureates in literature: Nadine Gordimer, Kenzaburo Oe and Gao Xingjian. (World Scientific)

Add to the writers of this genre, 2024 Nobel Laureate, Han Kang of Korea

We Do Not Part: A Novel by Han Kang, publication Jan. 21, 2025, Hogarth, NetGalley. Genre: historical fiction, literary fiction, Asian literature, Nobel Prize

Description: 

Blurring the boundaries between dream and reality, We Do Not Part powerfully illuminates a forgotten chapter in Korean history, buried for decades—bringing to light the lost voices of the past to save them from oblivion. Both a hymn to an enduring friendship and an argument for remembering, it is the story of profound love in the face of unspeakable violence—and a celebration of life, however fragile it might be. (publisher)

On a lighter yet also significant note, an historical novel

White Mulberry by Rosa Kwon Easton, December 1, 2024; Lake Union Publishing, NetGalley. Historical fiction, women's fiction

Description: 

A rich, deeply moving portrait of a young Korean woman in 1930s Japan who is torn between two worlds and must reclaim her true identity to provide a future for her family. Inspired by the life of the author's grandmother.

As war looms on a new front and Miyoung feels the constraints of her adopted home tighten, she is faced with a choice that will change her life—and the lives of those she loves—forever.

I am fascinated by the history of Koreans in Japan, from pre-war to the present. Other books on this topic include Pachinko by Min Jin Lee. This one tells a story of belonging but yet not quite belonging to an adopted country.

And even lighter still:

The Autumn of Ruth Winters by Marshall Fine, Nov. 5, 2024; Lake Union Publishing. Women's fiction, retirees

I won this ebook and am enjoying the retired, widowed bookkeeper in Minnesota who babysits in her spare time and whose hum drum life begins to explode when her estranged sister calls her for help. In addition, an old high school crush contacts her again to meet up at their class reunion.

Another ebook win that's also a good break from more serious reads:

Happy After All by Maisey Yates, Jan. 1, 2025, Montlake.

I love the desert setting in northern California, and the motel with the flamingo theme that caters to everyone, including quirky senior citizens who live there long term, and the occasional famous book novelist who arrives to finish a book in silence and anonymity.

This is labeled a Meet-Cute romance novel, with all the other romantic tropes thrown in to emphasize the writer that is the main character and narrator, Amelia. 

A fun read, with Meet-Cute turning out to be Enemy to Friends to Lovers trope. And of course a happily ever after ending, improbable as the details may be.

 

Update on Boardman and others: 

I have decided to ignore the bots or others that continue to troll my blog posts. I'll just take it as a compliment. 

What are you reading or watching this week? 

Memes:  The Sunday Post, It's Monday: What Are You Reading, Sunday Salon, and Stacking the Shelves