The White Book

A Novel

De: Han Kang, Deborah Smith

Narrado por: Jennifer Kim

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 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 writing . . . delicate and gorgeous . . . one of the smartest reflections on what it means to remember those we’ve lost.”—NPR

While on a writer’s residency, a nameless narrator focuses on the color white to creatively channel her inner pain. Through lyrical, interconnected stories, she grapples with the tragedy that has haunted her family, attempting to make sense of her older sister’s death using the color white. From trying to imagine her mother’s first time producing breast milk to watching the snow fall and meditating on the impermanence of life, she weaves a poignant, heartfelt story of the omnipresence of grief and the ways we perceive the world around us.

In captivating, starkly beautiful language, The White Book offers a multilayered exploration of color and its absence, of the tenacity and fragility of the human spirit, and of our attempts to graft new life from the ashes of destruction.

©2019 Han Kang (P)2019 Random House Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“A brilliant psychogeography of grief, moving as it does between place, history and memory . . . Poised and never flinches from serene dignity . . . The White Book is a mysterious text, perhaps in part a secular prayer book. . . . Translated peerlessly by Smith, [it] succeeds in reflecting Han’s urgent desire to transcend pain with language.”—The Guardian

“With eloquence and grace, Han breathes life into loss and fills the emptiness with this new work.”—Library Journal

“Everything I ever thought about the color white has been profoundly altered by reading Han Kang’s brilliant exploration of its meaning and the ways in which white shapes her world, from birth to death—including the death of The White Book’s narrator’s older sister, who died just a few hours after she was born, in her mother’s arms. This is an unforgettable meditation on grief and memory, resilience and acceptance, all offered up in Han’s luminous, intimate prose.”—Nylon

Really nice story

It was a very interesting, calm story to listen to and made me think a lot.

Interesting Read

The White Book

- The representation is centered around premature death. Babies born and dying slowly after.
- Author wrote a list about the white things in her life. All Whiteness.
- “Within White, all the those white things, I will breathe in the final breath you release.” Last words within book.
- White things were tied to significant moments in her life
- A dog that’s a dog that doesn’t bark? Fog?! I don’t understand this riddle.
- “Don’t die, for gods sake don’t die.” Words of parting. “Don’t die, live.”


Notes from book club:
* Someone outlined the book was a metaphor for grief.
* Author discovered things through the eyes of a loved one, as if they hadn’t existed. Seeing the beauty through someone else’s eyes.
* Intentionally layering within this book.
* Almost seemed like a zero sum game. Outlining that some people had to die for her to live.
* Book written as stages of grief or a stream of images.

White Imagery

Images of White, family, esp parent/child connections. Kang is a poet whose gift of prose/poetry is a joy to read and listen to.

Beautifully poetic

This book is about white objects and the symbolism behind them. While it may be short, it’s poetic and beautifully written. Some essays need time for “digestion.”

Nobel deserved

Amazing ability to clearly describe the emotion and thoughts mixed through a life lived. Deserved the Nobel

Delightful Listen

Poetic tapestry of images and emotions. I found this creative and heartfelt. Have listened to this more than once.

Great story!

Wow I'm siked! Lets make it another; I would love to hear more from this author.

I'm not smart enough to review this lol

I liked it. I feel like there is a ton of symbolism. I guarantee an English teacher can make students hate this book.
But jokes aside, the narrator was phenomenal, the book content was great. applause for everyone involved

the slow dullness

it was hard to stay awake or alert. it felt so introspective and self conscious