A review by caseyjayner
The Vegetarian by Han Kang

dark 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

4.0

Terrible, awful read which is an accurate portrayal of the madness that can ensue when a person is resigned to their helpless fate of repeated abuse.  I think this is meant as a horror, but honestly I related a lot to the main character, her choices, her vacancy, and the ways everyone around her repeatedly dismissed her autonomy the few times she asserted it. 
The men in this book are written in contrast to the women- never using names and only referring to their own hungers and the ways they unabashedly pursue them.

I thought this book was going to be about pure OCD, but I was terribly wrong.  

Also- marital rape was still legal a the time this was published in South Korea. Seriously strong trigger warnings here

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