I was deeply moved by We Do Not Part. Having previously read The Vegetarian, I already admired Han Kang’s haunting, poetic style — and this novel only deepened that admiration. Her writing is beautifully sparse yet emotionally charged, filled with darkness and quiet sorrow. I did find myself getting lost at times in the narrative structure, but I think that confusion mirrors the emotional and historical disorientation of the characters. It’s the kind of book that lingers in your mind, one I definitely want to read again to fully absorb its layers.

What struck me most was learning about the Jeju Uprising, a tragic event in Korean history I had never heard of before. The way Kang weaves historical trauma into intimate, personal stories is devastating and powerful. It reminded me a lot of what’s happening in Palestine today, the cruelty, the silencing, and the world’s failure to learn from the past.

Thank you Netgalley, the author and the publisher for letting me read a copy in advance in exchange for an honest review.

We do not part is both a story of a deep friendship and the Jeju massacre in Korea in the 1940's. It moves between dream sequences, reality and the horror of history. Very skilfully done, exquisite writing and an interesting story.

Kyungha is summoned by her friend, Inseon, who is hospitalised following an accident to her. As Inseon will be stuck in the hospital for quite some time, she asked Kyungha to travel to Jeju island where Inseon lives to feed her beloved pet bird - or else it would die.
Kyungha follows her friend's request travelling to Jeju island, through very bad weather of snowstorm and icy wind.
I really enjoyed the vivid description of the author about Kyungha's challenging travel to fulfill her friend's request.
As she arrived at Inseon's house, you will be presented with the dreamlike story of Inseon's family. This part will give you a lot of history intake of horrifying massacres, 4.3 massacre on Jeju in 1948 as well as the 1980 Gwangju Uprising.
I can say that the second half of the book, you'll explore some historical horrors. This is my first book by this author, I enjoyed the first half of the book and I felt struggling for the second half of the book.
It’s not an easy book to read, but if you are a fan of poetic, dreamlike prose, I think you would enjoy this whole book.
Will I still read another book from this author? YES, I am hoping to read Vegetarian .

A beautiful and important novel, exploring a part of Korean history that has only really been excavated in the last few decades. The novel brilliantly explores the crushing of 'rebellion' in Jeju, and the long-term effects on the residents, especially in the silence that followed. Han Kang's ability to explore historical political events with such fire is a true skill.

I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

4 Stars! I can see why she has won the nobel peace prize!! A really good book & very informative, Kang is an amazing writer!

After reading The Vegetarian I knew that I had to find the right time to pick this one up. I wouldnt't say I enjoyed this , i did by no means not like it I just found that I wasn't excited to pick it up all the time .
The writing is beautiful , very descriptive and you can a real sense of place (which I love from a book) but by the latter half i was just questioning what was happening , is this a dream or is it reality ?? Some of it went way over my head , but that's just maybe me ! I did enjoy learning about South Korea's past but felt like it was too much of an educational book for me . I definitely want to read more of Kang's work but sadly this one just didn't work for me .

The prose was beautiful, but ultimately it felt more like a short story that was extended for far too long. Often powerful, but I became impatient with never feeling like I knew whether something was real or a dream. I think this might be a me-problem, but I found myself getting distracted far too often.

The prose of this book is stunning! It is dissimilar to anything I have read before, often leaning into more poetic conventions than typical of a standard narrative, however at times this kind of ethereal narration, lead the story to feel rather intangible and oftentimes confusion.

Harrowing, reflective, and fresh, this novel certainly will appeal to those who love richly prose-filled, slow and contemplative reads, however the appeal for the wider reading community may not be quite as large.

After reading the vegetarian I knew I had to delve further into this authors works. The stories are beautiful and unique.

This book is deep, it is intense and it’s so intricate yet the emotions it brings are so big.

We Do Not Part is a book about history and trauma, about how trauma gets passed down, even silently, through generations, and about how, even without you being aware of it, you may be carrying it with you. In this book, Han Kang addresses a part of Korean history I was unaware of, specifically the Jeju Uprising (April 1948 - May 1949) and the Bodo League Massacre and Gyeongsan Cobalt Mine Massacre that followed. Hundreds of thousands of Koreans, men, women, young children, babies, and elderly, died during these massacres and it took decades for the full truth to emerge about it and for the bereaved to receive recognition. As such, violence and pain reverberate throughout We Do Not Part, which does not make it an easy read. Not only are there detailed descriptions of war crimes, torture, and violence, but it is also made clear how a trauma like this leaves traces throughout a people and country. Both main characters in the book, Kyungha and Inseon, are haunted in different ways by the past. For Kyungha, she is followed by horrid dreams ever since writing a book about a massacre, which may or may not have led to the depression she is currently experiencing. Inseon, meanwhile, comes from Jeju and her family was deeply marked by the horrors they experienced.

Stunning work, but would we expect anything less? Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the privilege of this arc.

Han Kang never disappoints! In a new novel she explores female friendship intertwined with difficult memories of the Jeju massacre. Horryfying, but beatufilly written story definitely deserves your attention.

Beginning one morning in December, We Do Not Part traces the path of Kyungha as she travels from the city of Seoul into the forests of Jeju Island, to the home of her old friend Inseon. Hospitalized following an accident, Inseon has begged Kyungha to hasten there to feed her beloved pet bird, who will otherwise die. There, the long-buried story of Inseon’s family surges into light, in dreams and memories passed from mother to daughter, and in a painstakingly assembled archive documenting a terrible massacre on the island seventy years before.

This was a very atmospheric story, with a beautiful haunting quality to it. I loved the mixed use of prose and poetry in the storytelling. I didn’t expect the historical fiction aspect, and how prominent it was to the core of the story. The impact of war and darkness across decades and generations here hit me big time.

Kyungha and Inseon’s relationship was written expertly. Even though they had minimum on-screen interaction, I could feel the history and connection between them. The story wouldn’t have felt the same otherwise.

At the end of the day, I didn’t end up trying to understand every single metaphor in this. I was content to just appreciate the beauty of the writing.

Han Kang's writing is as beautiful and haunting as ever here. This is a wise, poetic and profound exploration of grief, trauma and atrocity. Totally unexpected - a real gem for lovers of literary and experimental fiction.
Really astounding. An essential read from one of our greatest living writers.

This is my second book discussing the topic of the Jeju island massacre - but in a retrospective view rather than a current one like the other book I read (The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See). I have read all of Han Kang's books that have been translated in English and this is definitely one of the ones I liked better. If you liked Human Acts and The White Book better than her other works this might be more up your street as well. This, as well as Human Acts, deal with a painful part of Korean history that may be unknown to many foreign readers.

There are certain elements that are supernatural in nature and very floaty and poetic. Towards the latter half the main character isn't entirely sure what is real and what is fake and neither are you, and this is a book that leaves much unanswered without being frustrating.

The main character is on the sidelines of the tragedy, and the sidelines of the ripple effects it has on her friend and her family and community. The lack of nearness to the topic meant that I felt there was so much more that could be explored but simultaneously I am impressed by the restraint shown by the author to not give too much away and keep at a distance. The end is in some parts a bit abrupt but fitting with the flow of the book.

Truly amazing. This novel highlights how historic violent events live in us generations after the atrocities have been committed. Han Kang's beautiful writing tells the story of Kyungha, a writer living in Seoul, who takes a journey to Jeju island amidst a snowstorm to feed her friend Inseon's bird.

Too many of us have been desensitised to the horrors that humans have - and continue to - commit. In the current world we live in, empathy is the only thing that will save us. There is a lot more I could say about the book and Han Kang's writing but instead I will tell you to read this book.

Han Kang returns with a haunting, lyrical meditation on grief, intimacy, and memory. We Do Not Part is a novel heavy with emotional density. Through precise, poetic prose, Kang crafts a narrative that blurs the lines between the personal and the communal, the corporeal and the metaphysical.

At the forefront are atmosphere and sensation, the novel unfolds as a series of impressions—fragments that echo the disorientation of trauma. Readers familiar with Kang’s work will recognise recurring symbols and motifs (snow, birds, trees and more), though this work is different to past works it carries her signature quiet intensity and thematic depth.

At times elusive, the narrative rewards slow, attentive reading. It deals with war atrocities, trauma and grief.

Recommended for: readers who appreciate literary fiction with experimental structure, poetic language, and profound emotional resonance.

This was the book I picked for the #ReadingtheGlobe2025 contemporary strand - a project I set up to celebrates world literature. The group were split as to whether they minded or were slightly put off by the difference in style between Part 1 and Part 2 but everyone agreed they were glad to have read it. We had a live show discussion on my co-host's booktube channel Scallydandling about the Books.

An astounding achievement by Nobel prize winner .. in near perfect prose/poetry .. not rhyming sort, but allusive language and imagery .. it's a profound exploration of friendship, Korean dereliction in massacre of a peoples in their teritory, and the regaining of personal agency. Big claims .. sure .. but accomplished. I could not put it down .. it spoke to me despite different geography/state to mine.

A more introspective and quiet novel from Han Kang, We Do Not Part feels like the fever dream Kyungha seems to be having in the later half of the book. Kang's writing is listless, meandering and dream like in the best way, as she interspersing Kyungha's journey in the snow on Jeju Island with Iseon's and her family's memories of the masacare and it's painful legacy on her ancestors.
I've never read a historical literary quiet like it and suspect I never will again.

Khongya is living an unhappy and isolated life, seemingly after a breakdown triggered by research for her work as a writer. She is summoned to the hospital bed of an old friend, Inseon, and sent by her to her island home on a mission. Once there, reality, fantasy, dreams , death, trauma and history all begin to blur..
What to make of this novel? Han Kang is an astonishing writer. She adds layers and loops of themes and ideas. Sometimes you don’t really know what’s going on and yet you want to keep reading. I particularly enjoyed the first half of the book, and Khungya’s epic journey through the snow to Inseon’s cabin was totally gripping. Towards the end I feel I lost my way a little due to unfamiliarity with the historical events and locations that come to the forefront. Very interesting novel however and I am glad to have read it. Have ordered Greek Lessons to see how it compares.