White Book by Han Kang

 

The White Book / Han Kang
translated from the Korean by Deborah Smith
London: Portobello Books, 2018, c2016.
161 p.

I had to get this book via Interlibrary Loan after I saw someone talking about it on their book blog, but I don't remember who mentioned it, I'm sorry! 

In any case, they were correct - this was a beautiful read, poetic and striking. It's made up of short, reflective pieces, quite lyrical, on a range of topics. It explores the colour White, with a list of white things, and well as having this idea shape many of the other sections, as white objects lead to reflections on things in the narrator's past.

The narrator is living in Warsaw on a writer's residency, and wanders the city, thinking of her sister, a baby who had died at birth in tragic circumstances, but whose death made it possible for the narrator to exist. The short chapters build on one another until we have an idea of the full story. 

These reflections are sharp, involving grief over her family history, and death in a broader sense; she visits WWII memorials as she walks the city. The events are softened and blurred, rather like the whiteness of fog, by the introspective meditations of the author. 

The chapters are interspersed with black and white photos in soft focus, often of domestic themes. The first one is of a woman sewing something on her lap. These images evoke the feeling of memoir and veracity of this fictional story. It also feels like the book has shades of Sebbald in the use of photographs, and walking through cities. 

This one has been nominated for and won many prizes, and I can see why. It's a fragmentary, dreamy read that lingers in the mind. The language is poetic and measured, the concepts are deeply resonant and visually rich. Read this if you are looking for a slower paced, meditative journey through personal history, which sheds light on universal concerns.