A review by remainsofabook
The Vegetarian by Han Kang

challenging dark sad medium-paced
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

The Vegetarian is a very interesting and unique book in terms of it's storyline and execution. While reading it, the book feels like magical realism and reminded me of Murakami's Kafka on the Shore. Maybe it's because of the dream element in the plot as this book isn't magical realism. Though "surrealism" is really the best word to describe it. Honestly I do think this is an interesting book and worth the read but there is just something about it that makes me unable to give it a higher rating. There are three POVs. The three POVs are very different. All of them exude a different vibe and reflects the specific narrator. I think the first and last POVs worked really well. The second POV kinda fell flat.

The flow of the writing feels odd and confusing to me at times. To better explain how I felt while reading, the entire book reads like an artsy short film with jump cuts between paragraphs that sometimes throw me off. I'm not sure if it's the translation or the stylistic choice of the author. Probably the biggest reason why I couldn't give this a higher rating. No doubt this is an interesting read, it's subtle and open to interpretations. I might actually enjoy it a lot more the second time I read it. 
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