Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

The Vegetarian by Han Kang

616 reviews

dark sad tense 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

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challenging dark mysterious sad slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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challenging dark tense fast-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

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dark tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I am not entirely sure why this book is tagged horror in most reviews and discourses, or maybe my understanding og such genre is limited at the moment for I personally did not associate it with horror while reading it. 

This is the character discovery of Yeong-Hye from the eyes of other people as she unravels in front of them. How each one of them see her as an inconvenience, as an object of desire, as an artpiece, as a responsibility, as a victim. As parts ot Yeong-Hye are opened up infront of me, I felt more and more uncomfortable and stunned by what she has endured and as you realise that at some point something inside her broke and she stopped enduring. She suffered and tried to not suffer, but having no control of her life, she couldn't escape suffering for a long time. You realise that although she spoke little, when she did, she clearly communicated what she needed, but those words weren't heard. 

The understanding of the characters of the narrators is also constantly being discovered as you read chapters in their voices and also see the others from their eyes. 

I think this book has tried to say so much about the society, about the insides of people's minds, about traumas and sufferings of long ago that stay with us, about the sheer impossibility of understanding what exactly is going on inside someone else. 

Flashes of this story are going to keep coming to me for a long time. 

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dark emotional tense fast-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

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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: Complicated

7.71 avg score

This book was challenging to read. Lots of heavy themes and darker tones.
The main theme for me was autonomy; is it truly ours or do we have to make decisions still thinking of how it'll affect those around us? 

The physical and bodily violence is not as horrendous as the violence that goes on within our mind. Most of which are self-inflicted, which is that much sadder to admit out loud.

Watching Yeong-hye's descend into madness through the eyes of those around her was fascinating, liberating, yet heartbreaking all at the same time. The last part told from her older sister's POV, In-hye, was the most difficult to read. Overall, this was an amazing experience, but it's not a book for everyone. 

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

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

Expand filter menu Content Warnings