Take a photo of a barcode or cover
weelasswithabook's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
🌟 Contemporary fiction
🌟 Translated from Korem
🌈 Set in Korea
🌈 Mental health representation
This was... I don't even know the best word to describe it. It was more than uncomfortable.
The Vegetarian follows Yeong-hye's spiral into an acute mental health crisis through three perspectives. Her husband, her brother in law, and her sister.
This was complicated, equal parts horrifying and fascinating, seeing it play out from these perspectives, yet feeling like you get to know who she is from these perspectives.
It touches on so many different aspects of life, from autonomy and agency, to mental health, complicated family dynamics, misogyny, and perception from those who only see the world in black and white,
This review would be an essay itself if I had to touch on all these points so I'm going to attempt to be brief.
From child abuse to marital abuse, it's easy to see why Yeong-hye's spiral began, although it is hinted to that there has always been the predisposition to mental health issues within the family, but red flags were ignored. We get to see this through her sister's perspective as she herself seemingly begins to spiral, and she constantly asks herself "what if" as she reflects on all these red flags seen throughout their childhood.
Yeong-hye has never really had that sense of agency and autonomy afforded to anyone else in the novel. She's always to do what is expected and if not, received beatings as a child (and subsequent as an adult), she experienced marital rape, and nobody would respect her finally reclaiming part of herself by choosing to adopt a vegan diet, the only thing she can really take control over. The family reaction to the veganism was so extreme, and it's clear that it wasn't the veganism they held issue with, but the inability to coerce and control. Particularly from the male members of her family and social circle.
The symbolism of the trees, from both a literary perspective, and cultural perspective, reinforces these themes of agency, as trees often symbolise strength, rebirth, and resilience. So in her moments of clarity where she expresses she wishes to become a tree, it read to me that she wished for that strength, that resilience, and the desire to be reborn as her true self with autonomy.
One of the most beautiful things about this novel, is that nothing is ever explicitly stated motive-wise. And from others reviews and reading experiences, everyone seems to have taken something different away from the book. Whether surface level, or on a deeper scale, everyone's interpretation is so different and that in itself is fascinating.
I think you should read this if you're looking for something really outwith the norms of contemporary fiction. I'd definitely take heed of the trigger warnings as it's very disturbing throughout.
My only wish is that I could read Korean to have experienced it without the potential skews that can happen in translation.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, and Suicide attempt
estelavarella's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, and Rape
chlololo's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Rape, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Classism
Minor: Self harm, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Vomit
junjiitosgf's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
izumimori's review against another edition
That notwithstanding, the book is 4.5 stars.
It's harrowing.
Graphic: Misogyny, Rape, and Sexual violence
magicalghoul's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Clubs de Lectura 2025: Enero
How do you navigate the weight of life and all the patriarchal violence inflicted on you, without going... mad? Without detaching yourself from reality and wanting to turn into a tree, like Daphne did?
The first two parts enraged me so (not because the text was bad, the characters and situations just feel so real and it was obvious we weren't meant to sympathize with the men) while the third and last part almost brought me to tears.
While reading the first part I thought that yeong-hye didn't have a community, that even her family favored the men in her life. By the third part it's apparent that she had In-hye all along, and the struggle of the sister to keep that bond afloat pained me so much.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Slavery, Colonisation, and War
booksellersdiary's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Suicide attempt, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Medical content
saradeu's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, and Suicide attempt
byoblessing's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Blood, and Medical content
idasophieluise's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.5
Definitely not in the right headspace for this and would have needed those content warnings!!
I feel like I should have stopped after the first part which was still interesting, instead of torturing myself all the way through this :(
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail