Reviews with content warning for Misogyny - Grænmetisætan

Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'

Grænmetisætan by Han Kang

233 reviews

nadiarausa's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.5

Before I share a few initial thoughts, for anyone interested in reading the book, please be aware of a few TW/CW: there are two instances of SA, the first in part one and the other in part two, as well as a few instances of self-h*rm and su*c*de attempts.

As for my initial thoughts: I think a lot of people missed the point of this book. It certainly wasn’t about convincing anyone to be vegetarian or vegan, it wasn’t even just to relay gory and creepy things (though much of the “creepy” imagery in this book was honestly quite beautiful to me); it’s about the harm of misogyny, patriarchy, and the lack of autonomy women have, and how this affects the physical and mental health of women in patriarchal societies.

Han Kang did a beautiful job weaving a story that gives a fantastical horror vibe to the very real world that women (or women-raised folks) live in. I would love to read this in Korean as well! I’d be interested to see how similar or different things are between translations.

One thing on translation that I will note: I wish they’d used the names of the dishes rather than listing ingredients. I get that they were trying to clarify if there was meat in this or that dish, but it felt so weird to read something like japchae (잡채) translated as “stir-fried glass noodles with vegetables and meat.” It’s like saying “wheat noodles with tomato sauce and meat” instead of just saying spaghetti. But otherwise, with only having read the English translation, the translator seemed to do a good job.

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elizlizabeth's review against another edition

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challenging dark fast-paced

4.5

This book makes me feel thorn because even though I think it's brilliant, it's not necessarily an enjoyable experience. It's very cathartic but not in a power fantasy way. I like the open ending because it leaves so many questions for you to ponder, which I think it's always positive in a story.

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linnybear's review against another edition

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Well that was a reminder to check trigger warnings from time to time :x

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bridge_to_narnia's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.25

Well written, but I don't think it was for me.

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dawndiscusses's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

The most endearing part was Han's exploration of the impossibility of a truly ethical life, the impact of which I think has softened to some of the other perceived flaws others have pointed out. I'm generally not a fan of art that requires extra research (e.g. author interviews, discussion threads etc) to get a grasp on, but in this case I'm glad I followed my curiosity. Having watched Han discuss the project and reading a lot of the wonderful clarity provided by people in this community, I am moved by her willingness to open herself up and confront a subject matter that has plagued her for so long. Not in attempt to find a solution, but in the desire to explore what it means to be human. For that alone and the earnestness with which both she and translator Deborah Smith carried this project out, I really enjoyed it.

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saint_eleanor's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I really loved this book, it was so heartbreaking and weird. Some of it seemed kinds on-the-nose but i lack the cultural background to appreciate 100% of the writing. Its really interesting how vegetarianism is received in Korean culture, though obviously the vegetarian aspect was more of a metaphor for going against the grain as a woman, and also picked up major anti-consumerism anti-individualism vibes, the people in the MC’s life can’t fathom that she would want to do something for herself or have her own thoughts that conflict with High Society, and it ultimately breaks her. If you like this book you should watch Kotoko (2011)

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