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queenofenglish's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Blood and Vomit
elsieols's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
okay, so this review is a little difficult to fully articulate. i will try, though.
first of all, the husband and the brother in law both deserve to be buried alive and then to spend eternity in hell perpetually being castrated by hot-but-not-hot-enough-to-cauterize branding irons. that being said, i found myself rating this book highly despite their perspectives. there are a couple reasons, i think, why.
first off, it i didn’t know han kang was a woman, i would have dnf-ed less than 30% onto the book just by how mr. cheong was speaking of yeong-hye. however, knowing she was a woman and in an intellectual field, i think i opened up my mind more to what commentary could come from these depictions.
i can only see this book as a depiction of the abuse and mental fragmentation women face under the thumbs of domineering men in a patriarchal society, specifically from the forced repression that one does when raised as a girl and woman in a society like this. women in this depiction are like the dog yeong-hye remembers her father killing—forced to run in circles and coughing up blood and organs, being dragged on the ground for nothing but amusement after doing something as simple as biting, a basic, defensive instinct. and men are the people surrounding the dog, killing it and eating its meat. yeong-hye’s vegetarianism is her trying to pull away from the system and create a gentler system. she clings to her breasts as things that sustain life, as soft parts of her. in the end, though, in her attempt at escape from this system, she is the mess of hard lines and sharp edges that she had grown to fear in herself. it’s terribly tragic and very violent, but i do think that kang depicts these moments and emotions well. even the perspective choice speaks to yeong-hye’s forced suppression. we only ever see her perspective in tiny glimpses in her husband’s pov, and 2/3 of her story is told by men.
another reason i rated this book highly is because of the questions it brings of the self and the fracturing of the mind, especially in the last part. even if we look at these NOT primarily through the lens of repressed women, the questions in this part about the self and the way abuse changes a person are fascinating. i especially find it fascinating to examine the parallels between yeong-hye’s descent into instability and her sister’s. i think this was done incredibly well.
all in all, i appreciate this book even if it made me angry and uncomfortable. i can certainly see why one may rate it low based on the horrific narrators and an inability to separate them from the author due to HOW terrible and inexcusable they are. however, this feminist commentary i kinda stuck to from the beginning made me come to really appreciate kang for how she depicted yeong-hye’s story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Rape, and Blood
missn11's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, and Grief
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Blood
alexofsuburbia's review against another edition
2.0
Voy a confesar que cuando lo terminé me sentí confundida, incluso en el transcurso de la segunda parte consideré abandonarlo pero me ganó la curiosidad y por eso decidí terminarlo. Por suerte encontré un análisis buenísimo y muy completo en youtube que me ayudó a procesar las ideas que no llegué a interpretar de manera completa. Sin ese análisis siento que me habría quedado con la idea equivocada sobre la novela.
Diría que como tal no me gustó porque esperaba algo completamente distinto y realmente creo que toda la segunda parte pudo ser omitida, en ratos pensaba que estaba leyendo a un autor masculino cualquiera y no a una autora ganadora de un nobel por haber realizado una crítica necesaria, pero ya después reconocí el talento de la autora porque al tener la narración de la hermana se nota completamente el cambio. Aunque honestamente sigo sin entender el punto del cuñado, habría sido una historia mucho mejor sin esa parte.
Lo que más me gustó fueron los sueños de la protagonista, creí y me habría gustado que hubiéramos leído más de ellos pero no fue el caso, eran lo único que me tenía enganchada a la historia porque la narración del esposo también me molestó mucho. En cuanto a la tercera parte me costó un poco porque no era algo con lo que esperaba identificarme.
En general creo que es una historia bastante dolorosa, sí refleja como se ve de manera externa el no encajar en ciertos estereotipos de la sociedad y como eso va perjudicando a un nivel exagerado cuando todo se podría evitar “fácil” pero por desgracia nunca va a ser así. En cuanto a lo que le toma a la autora para llegar o contar esto… no creo que haya sido muy eficiente porque pudo contar lo mismo de una forma bastante diferente. Yo nunca, nunca, nunca voy a estar de acuerdo en narrar/exponer/usar cierto tipo de abusos para que la moraleja sea “es que así es la vida y eso está mal” porque se puede llegar a esa misma conclusión evitando repetir esos mismos actos que tanto se quieren criticar.
Tal vez luego le vuelva a dar una oportunidad a la autora, pero aunque no lo haya querido admitir sí fue una decepción.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, and Sexual harassment
sweetadeliene's review
dark
medium-paced
3.5
The writing was gorgeous but the plot and themes are dark and difficult.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Dysphoria
alreinwarth's review against another edition
dark
tense
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? Yes
1.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Medical content, Suicide attempt, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Blood
Minor: Terminal illness and Vomit
moonsunamour's review
dark
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Part 1: female rage and a lot of frustration at our society and males in particular.
Part 2: disgust and a feeling of doom and instability regarding humanity which seems drenched in malice and unconsciousness.
Part 3: utter desolation and empathy for sensitive and open minds who struggle through a twisted and seemingly inexplicable world as well as a sense of confusion, despair and being lost
Part 2: disgust and a feeling of doom and instability regarding humanity which seems drenched in malice and unconsciousness.
Part 3: utter desolation and empathy for sensitive and open minds who struggle through a twisted and seemingly inexplicable world as well as a sense of confusion, despair and being lost
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexual harassment
m4eson's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
FIRST AND FOREMOST - i do think this book can be HIGHLY triggering to some and would advise to check for a list. ive done my best to tag them in this review because they are reoccurring and graphic.
reading this book was such an experience. i dont know whether i could label that experience as good or bad as the topic was complex and deeply layered.
i was a little lost at first and then i took into account a few things that i feel are important when talking about this book. first, the book was originally written in korean — this meaning the translation was done as best as possible but as an asian woman with my first language not being english i am all to aware that some things are not easily translated. second, that this book was written by a woman which i always like to take note of but that detail in specific to this book feels extremely important.
the main character in this book was mostly treated as a 3rd person, i found this to be super strange at first but as we get to know her, i see exactly why she was created in the eyes of those around her. this book represents the harmful narratives of patriarchy — specifically in asian cultures. the main character is othered, abused and truly discarded by those around her because she had chosen to live a life no one understood. the fact that all that followed stemmed from her choosing to change her diet speaks so strongly of how women are seen ESPECIALLY by men. the men are awful, they are absolutely horrible to their wives (the main character and her sister and even their mother). not only does this touch on the value of women determined in a patriarchy but this also covers the aspect of food and the relationship women have to it. i thought this was a brilliant choice as food in many asian cultures stands as a deeply woven and sacred aspect to our identity and histories but this was the first time ive seen it discussed as something that could be negative.
i think in time my brain will sit with this and i will only continue to peel back more and more of how important this book is and i think thats a makes this read all the more meaningful.
reading this book was such an experience. i dont know whether i could label that experience as good or bad as the topic was complex and deeply layered.
i was a little lost at first and then i took into account a few things that i feel are important when talking about this book. first, the book was originally written in korean — this meaning the translation was done as best as possible but as an asian woman with my first language not being english i am all to aware that some things are not easily translated. second, that this book was written by a woman which i always like to take note of but that detail in specific to this book feels extremely important.
the main character in this book was mostly treated as a 3rd person, i found this to be super strange at first but as we get to know her, i see exactly why she was created in the eyes of those around her. this book represents the harmful narratives of patriarchy — specifically in asian cultures. the main character is othered, abused and truly discarded by those around her because she had chosen to live a life no one understood. the fact that all that followed stemmed from her choosing to change her diet speaks so strongly of how women are seen ESPECIALLY by men. the men are awful, they are absolutely horrible to their wives (the main character and her sister and even their mother). not only does this touch on the value of women determined in a patriarchy but this also covers the aspect of food and the relationship women have to it. i thought this was a brilliant choice as food in many asian cultures stands as a deeply woven and sacred aspect to our identity and histories but this was the first time ive seen it discussed as something that could be negative.
i think in time my brain will sit with this and i will only continue to peel back more and more of how important this book is and i think thats a makes this read all the more meaningful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Confinement, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail
rachellynchase's review
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Misogyny, Rape, and Sexual assault
bookedbymadeline's review
dark
sad
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
3.0
Very dark, sad, frustrating book. Split into 3 parts and narrated by 3 different characters who speak about Yeong-Hye. I hated the male characters from the first two parts, they’re repulsive and incredibly misogynistic and selfish. However it was like a car crash, I didn’t want to look away and it held my attention the most compared to part 3. The third part had me confused where the story was going and then disappointed by the end. I felt really disconnected from the characters and wanted to know more about what “the dream” was and what was going on in Yeong-Hye’s own mind.
I did love that Kang, in a small way, has her other books connect. She mentions both Jeju island (which is a main setting in her latest novel) and the May Massacre which is a main plot point of Human Acts! Both of which came out later compared to this book but I kind of loved that nod to her future works (or for me the works I read first).
I did love that Kang, in a small way, has her other books connect. She mentions both Jeju island (which is a main setting in her latest novel) and the May Massacre which is a main plot point of Human Acts! Both of which came out later compared to this book but I kind of loved that nod to her future works (or for me the works I read first).
Overall while I do still enjoy Kang’s prose, it feels as if I got more questions than answers and had that “what was the point of this? What the fuck did I even read” moment upon closing the book. I wanted more and guess I just “didn’t get it.” Maybe it sticks with me but maybe it’s forgettable? Only time will tell but for now I just feel like it was an average read. Also minor thing but this should really be called The Vegan!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Blood, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, and Sexual content