A review by afi_whatafireads
The Vegetarian by Han Kang

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Vile. Shocking. Dark.
I honestly can't look at flowers the same anymore after reading this.
It was a book that I picked up on a whim ; and managed to read it in one seating , and now my mind is boggled and in jumbled mess.


“Or perhaps it was simply that things were happening inside her, terrible things, which no one else could even guess at, and thus it was impossible for her to engage with everyday life at the same time. If so, she would naturally have no energy left, not just for curiosity or interest but indeed for any meaningful response to all the humdrum minutiae that went on on the surface.”


Korean literatures are stories that will leave you hanging and staring at the wall for a solid few minutes. The nuances would not be for everyone , and the Vegetarian is an extremely uncomfortable to read, but lo behold - as much the story effed me up - it became amongst one of the best books I've read this year. There is a sense of intricateness that only Han Kang can write, and its one that showed the darkness of the human mind - when its separated from its being - to the criticism of the patriarchy integrated in the story. The story is intended to make you feel queasy, uncomfortable and just angry . You'll be angry to the husband of the main character, you'll be angry to the parents who inflicted trauma to the siblings MC , and you'll be angry to how much of an ass every male character in this book is.

The story is written in three POV's - in which each POV showed the different acceptance to the main character's - Yeong Hye - curious case of becoming a Vegetarian. Yes don't come in this book expecting some happy story of a vegetarian. Its the title in the most literal sense that you will feel compulsion and revolted to the demise of Yeong Hye as a human being. This book somewhat reminded me of some books that I came to love like Earthlings by Sayaka Murata and No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai - only this one takes the perspective of extreme Schizophrenia when its at a point where it is uncontrollable and can't be saved. It takes the perspective of the abandonment of one person into living as a human.

Han Kang had written the realities of what the women in South Korea faces, the extreme misogyny and patriarchy that is so deeply ingrained in their society that it leads to women having no means of living her life to the fullest. Its shown in the husband's POV[ where the husband had treated Yeong Hye no more mere like a maid rather than a wife. In fact, the audacity of this person was so absurd that I had laughed at certain parts of the story as he had riled me up so bad. He is one of the examples amongst many men in how they were expected to be treated like royalty and in which if their needs were not fulfilled, they will act as if the body is of his own a (hide spoiler)], and in which the father is also abusive which had affected Yeong Hye to the point of her demise.

Han Kang's writing is not only beautiful but it served in providing a medium in telling a story that is peculiar , dark and heartbreaking at the same time. Yes, you won't be able to understand everything that is going on, but indefinitely, if you look through the lines, there is a part of darkness that lives in everyone that can only be awaken through various trauma implicated in a person's life - and Han Kang had wrote exactly this.

This definitely deserved the winning award for the 2016 International Booker Prize. I would have say kudos to the translator, Deborah Smith for making this book as close to the original text - and possibly, having the nuance of the story to come out beautifully, and done so well.