Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

The Vegetarian by Han Kang

612 reviews

challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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dark informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Recently Han Kang won the Nobel Prize for literature. This book was very low on my tbr, but when I saw the audiobook was so short, I decided to listen to it. Of the two narrators, I liked Stephen Park, who I'm almost certain is the actor. I've  always liked him. He managed to inject some needed humor into the first section, seen from the p.o.v. of the cluelessly arrogant (and therefore abusive) husband. 

At least it was amusing until the rape, which was the start of horrible, gross, and weird things that really turned me off to this book even though the writer just won a major international award. The next section, from the point of view of the brother-in-law, creeped me out even more. I heard the voice change a couple of times as if there were a few sentences Stephen refused to read. If that's true, good for him. 

The book was sold on the idea that a woman's decision to turn vegetarian shakes up her family, but that's not really what was going on with her. Minor spoiler ahead: The third section, from the sister's p.o.v., explores what it might be like to have a sister who has gone crazy and is dying of anorexia. I get annoyed when books' marketers misrepresent the product.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark emotional reflective tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

A beautifully written read about the tragedy of being a woman. Being the object of men's desires, anger, derision, amazement, mystery, and all the classic but ever relevant aspects of being a woman Different from the Others are front and center in this story, but in a biting and mocking way at the expense of the men and society at large. The extreme degree to which Kang takes the notion that a woman is mentally ill for wanting bodily and psychological autonomy illustrates how simply perverse the things we as a society expect of women and the things we let men get away with. It was a compelling and emotionally difficult read, and all the more powerful. I actually think the pace could have slowed down a bit, and the book could have been 20 to 30 percent longer to really build the climax up. Would recommend to someone wanting a tense but rather quick read that packs a punch. Beautifully translated as well.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark mysterious
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Loveable characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Ich hab's nicht gerafft.
Ich kann mir richtig gut vorstellen, wie dieses Buch im Deutschunterricht* auseinander genommen und bis zum geht nicht mehr interpretiert wird. Sowas lag mir nie, dafür bin ich einfach eine zu oberflächliche Leserin.

Der Sexismus und die Objektifizierung der Frauen, welche von den männlichen Figuren ausging, hat mich tierisch aufgeregt, aber ich glaube das war auch der Sinn...? Aber ich bin wie gesagt nicht immer mitgekommen, und das lag nur zum Teil daran, dass ich das Hörbuch gehört habe.

Aber hey, ich habe eine weitere Nobelpreisträgerin abhaken können und habe einen Ausflug aus meiner Komfortzone raus gemacht.

* so ein krasses Buch in der Schule lesen? Das wird doch nie passieren! Naja, also ich durfte in der Schule Das Parfum (Mord & Massenorgie), Räuberhände (Sex mit der Mutter des besten Freundes), Die Leiden des jungen Werther (Suizid) und Homo Faber (Sex mit der eigenen Tochter) lesen. Da reihen sich (Spoiler für die content warnings)
Vergewaltigung, häusliche Gewalt, versuchter Suizid und eine Essstörung
doch wunderbar ein. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark sad 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: Complicated

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark reflective sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark mysterious sad 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: Yes

Society fails another woman with mental illness.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark emotional mysterious fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated

It’s not the type of book I feel like I can recommend to everyone. 😬
Though I hated one character and their actions, the writing still made the book somewhat enjoyable.

Def check content warnings on this one. Because it isn’t a book on vegetarianism 😅

[Purchased a week before the Nobel prize was announced]

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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