The White Book
A Novel
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4.0 • 1 Rating
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- 69,00 kr
Publisher Description
FROM HAN KANG, WINNER OF THE 2024 NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE
“[Han Kang writes in] intense poetic prose that . . . exposes the fragility of human life.”—from the Nobel Prize citation
SHORTLISTED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE • A “formally daring, emotionally devastating, and deeply political” (The New York Times Book Review) exploration of personal grief through the prism of the color white, from the internationally bestselling author of The Vegetarian
“Stunningly beautiful. . . one of the smartest reflections on what it means to remember those we’ve lost.”—NPR
Shortlisted for the International Booker Prize, Han Kang’s The White Book is a meditation on color, as well as an attempt to make sense of her older sister’s death, who died in her mother’s arms just a few hours after she was born.
In captivating, starkly beautiful language, The White Book is a letter from Kang to her sister, offering a multilayered exploration of color and its absence, and of the tenacity and fragility of the human spirit.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Far from a traditional novel in its presentation, the engrossing latest from Man Booker International winner Han (The Vegetarian) fills spare pages with sometimes poetic meditations on the possibilities of a life unlived. After traveling to Warsaw from South Korea and renting an apartment, Han's unnamed narrator remembers the story of her parents' first child, a girl who died shortly after birth. The narrator investigates her own grief regarding this child to conjure a possible alternate timeline wherein the baby lived. The narrator looks through the eyes of this new person, wandering the foreign city, observing the snowy season developing around her, and using objects like "Sleet," "Salt," and "Sugar cubes" as titles to anchor each section. The narrator crafts an entire life for this lost sister before turning her considerations inward, asking if she would have been conceived if the child had survived. Han breaks her narrative into three parts, "I," "She," and "All Whiteness," and throughout writes with attention to the whiteness of the page. The second section, in particular, is wintery in presentation, with small blocks of black text floating atop swaths of blankness. Though thin on conventional narrative, the novel resonates as a prayer for the departed, and only gains power upon rereading.
Customer Reviews
A beautiful and poetic meditation on grief, loss, and the fragility of life
Han Kang's book "The White Book" is a beautiful and poetic meditation on grief, loss, and the fragility of life.
The book is structured around a series of vignettes, each exploring different aspects of the narrator's grief following the death of her older sister, who died just a few hours after birth.
One of the key themes of the book is the relationship between life and death. The narrator reflects on the briefness of her sister's life and how it was cut short before it really began. She also meditates on the idea that death is an inevitable part of life, and that all living things must eventually pass away.
"The White Book" is also a meditation on the color white itself. The author reflects on the various shades and meanings of white, from the pure white of snow to the off-white of bones. Through this exploration of color, the book explores the complex and multi-layered nature of grief and loss. The descriptions of white objects also create a visual landscape that is both haunting and beautiful.
The book is written in poetic, lyrical prose that is both delicate and powerful. The language itself is beautiful and creates a mood of reflection and contemplation. The emotions that the author expresses are raw and honest, which is deeply moving to read.
In my opinion "The White Book" is a deeply moving and poetic exploration of grief and loss, and its beauty lies in its ability to capture and convey the complex emotions and experiences that come with these universal human experiences.