GREEK LESSONS

Narrators Earl Kim and Greta Jung humanize Han Kang's moving story about two people who are suffering physical and mental anguish. After an unnamed Korean woman experiences several traumatic life blows, her language disappears. She enrolls in a Greek language class with an instructor who has just learned he's going blind. As the two stories alternate, Jung enters the mind of the wordless woman, conveying her deeply disturbed state through her lyrical poetry. As the teacher discovers he is attracted to the woman's poetry, Kim's deep baritone is calming and comforting. In tender communications, frequently nonverbal, each finds solace and salvation. Han's gorgeous writing allows the narrators to create two broken yet hopeful and utterly believable people listeners will care about. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2023]