Reviews with content warning for Body horror - The Vegetarian

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.

Content Warnings

bookedbymadeline's review

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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).

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

maiamatheny's review

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dark mysterious sad fast-paced

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

2.0

Didn’t really like this book :/ very unsettling and gory, which is fine if it serves a purpose. It felt like an underdeveloped analysis of South Korean gender politics

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samstg's review

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dark reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No

3.75

This book was disturbing - which I say as a good thing as this was the intent. The book is set up almost as 3 short stories, each following a different member of Yeong-hye's family as she becomes vegetarian and descends into what we may consider madness. Throughout, we examine each of these character's relationships with Yeong-hye and why they want to gain control over her vegetarianism - her husband's indifference for his wife but enjoying the benefits of the social conformity, her brother in-laws obsession with her and lack of care for his impact on her, and her sisters fear for her sister's life while struggling with the expectations of her own life.

It's a fascinating character study that I will need to continue to mull over.

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whitneysch's review against another edition

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challenging 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? Yes

4.0

“I have dreams too, you know. Dreams…and I could let myself dissolve into them, let them take me over…but surely the dream isn’t all there is? We have to wake up at some point, don’t we? Because…because then…”

This is a provocative book…and was, as many other reviewers will tell you, very disturbing. At times crossing lines of comfort to describe grotesque body horror and the equally disturbing unfiltered violent thoughts and actions of the characters. This was both a strength and a downfall of the book. At some points I was so disturbed that it no longer felt like a message was being conveyed and instead was just unnecessary description of the torture a character. Although I must admit that I do agree that often novels need to cross a line to make a point. Thus, this book was a very challenging book for me because the message of the story was very profound and meant to be unsettling, but at what point was that narratively reached… and the disturbing narrative decoration of that message… just grotesquely unnecessary.

Overall this book discussed how female choices affect a collection of people, and the subsequent cruel variety of punishments women are subjected to for their choices. This is juxtaposed by male characters’ freedom of choice. Women have to occupy so many roles: caretakers, lovers, breadwinners, and muses and are labeled for their roles… as mother’s, business owners, art, wives, and…vegetarians, although it’s all dehumanizing. Unfortunately, the main character shows us that the alternative isn’t much better: to be consumed by the awareness and rejection of roles, deemed “mad” for defying societal convention.

I still have so many thoughts on this story…but as one of my friends said to me… “it was atmospheric read” and I think it’s best to leave it there than further explain anything else.

Content Warnings

reallife_kazbrekker's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.5

This was an interesting book to say the least... I did like it tho, which feels a bit weird to say considering what some of the topics are.

I liked the other book I have read by this author, human acts, a bit more than this one. And I'm definitely going to be reading their other books!

Highly recommend but do look up the themes discussed in this book first, because some of them can be very triggering to read.

Content Warnings

mildhonestbonsai's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-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

3.0

This was.....quite the book.

I'm glad it was very short. Not sure if the story would benefit from a longer length given what the character in focus goes through. Idk. It was something lol.

Content Warnings

rgnavarro's review

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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