The Vegetarian by Han Kang
Summary:
Before the nightmares began, Yeong-hye and her husband lived an ordinary, controlled life. But the dreams—invasive images of blood and brutality—torture her, driving Yeong-hye to purge her mind and renounce eating meat altogether. It’s a small act of independence, but it interrupts her marriage and sets into motion an increasingly grotesque chain of events at home. As her husband, her brother-in-law and sister each fight to reassert their control, Yeong-hye obsessively defends the choice that’s become sacred to her. Soon their attempts turn desperate, subjecting first her mind, and then her body, to ever more intrusive and perverse violations, sending Yeong-hye spiraling into a dangerous, bizarre estrangement, not only from those closest to her, but also from herself.
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Review:
I first heard of The Vegetarian from Amazon when I was searching for new books to read early in 2016. At the time it had been longlisted for the Man Booker International Prize and had received loads of praise from critics. It took me nearly a year to finally pick up the book and I am glad I waited to do so. Last year I barely read any adult fiction and didn't start to really read it until early this year, so if I had picked this book up any sooner I feel like a lot of it would have went right over my head. What I really loved most about this 180+ page book is that it contains so much but yet it is so short. I have read much longer books that drag on and on and don't really say anything, but for Han Kang to write a book that deals with so many topics in less than 200 pages is just outstanding to me. I really loved how we read the book from three different POV's (her husband, her brother in law and her sister), each one unique and gut wrenching. I will say that I enjoyed the first two POV's more than the last one. I will be on the look out for more from Han Kang and I suggest you do the same. 4/5 Stars
