Reviews tagging 'Incest'

The Vegetarian by Han Kang

3 reviews

gossameralbum's review against another edition

dark reflective 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

5.0

i can not stop thinking about this book. overall it is about the absence of autonomy for women, in every way imaginable.
definitely check content warnings and do not take them lightly, as most of them are very graphic and haunting.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Violence, Vomit, Blood, Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Incest, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Alcoholism

hey_itsemmahere's review

dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Blood, Death, Eating disorder, Rape, Incest, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Self harm, and Sexual assault

ohlhauc's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

A weird, stark, gripping story that hooked me from the get-go. The writing and translation is exemplary - very sparse and straightforward but the rhythm is smooth and you become lost in the pages.

The main character is a woman, Yeong-hye, as she decides to stop eating meat after having a dream and then other choices that she makes to get closer to what she believes is her essential self. However, the story isn't told from her view but rather is broken up into three sections, each one told from the perspective of another character, and how they react to Yeong-hye: her husband, her brother-in-law, and her older sister.

This book is at times heartbreaking and other times, flat out disturbing, but it will make you think about how you treat others that you're different from, that you have power over, and that you're envious of. Not to mention thinking about the roles society expects one to play, and the conflict that happens when a person decides to live outside those unspoken rules. 

I really enjoyed this and plan to continue reading Han Kang's works. Her writing is just spectacular.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Forced institutionalization, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Eating disorder and Medical content

Minor: Animal cruelty