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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-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
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
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
challenging
dark
mysterious
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:
Complicated
My first experience with Han Kang was with Human Acts, which was a surprisingly devastating book, focusing mostly on trauma and loss. I figured I should check out her acclaimed short novel The Vegetarian as well, which is a much more abstract novel. It follows a young wife in Korea who one day decides to forgo eating meat, with devastating consequences to her and her family. It is such a simple premise, but one that is broad enough to offered a smorgasbord of interpretations. What I found most striking in The Vegetarian was how Han refused to write from the perspective to our vegetarian protagonist. The closest we get are glimpses of her nightmares, but we, like her family, remain in the dark as to exactly why the she refuses to eat meat anymore. The vagueness of the novel leaves it open for many interpretations, perhaps even warranting a comparison to writers like Kafka. For me, I appreciated that this novel provides little easy answers, as it gives the reader much to contemplate. It is not nearly as devastating as Human Acts, and I wouldn't rate it nearly as high. It's a 3.5, as it is an interesting puzzle of a book, but often too strange at times.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
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
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
honestly really unsettling for what i usually read but i think that’s the point. hate men and some of the scenes in this are a lot to take in but i also couldn’t stop reading it?
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
sad
fast-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
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt
Minor: Animal cruelty