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A review by mahiyaa
The Vegetarian by Han Kang
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
This book is so profound. Yes, it is half a fever dream and half a nightmare. Yes, it is emotional, but only in the sense that Yeonghye, the main character and focus of the book, is seen as an object by everyone. And that is where the book spends most of its time—depressing, hard to read "meaningless" description.
The first two stories, told from the perspective of her husband and brother-in-law, (with some of Yeonghye's disjointed dreams peppered into the former), are just...hard to stomach. Trigger warnings here for sexual assault and the like. It was, for me, just a jarring description of Yeonghye's suffering through the condescending, objectifying lens of two of the men in her life that used her for their own purposes. In these stories, I wasn't struck by any deeper themes, meanings, or commentary other than the poor, awful strife of this woman.
The book comes alive in two places; Yeonghye's portrayal of her dreams—which is only present in the first story—and the third story, through the eyes of her older sister, Inhye. These are definitely the most gripping parts. But they are still lacking to me. While Yeonghye's perspective is the most striking, both in its commentary and prose, it is far too little to justify reading the whole thing. Inhye's story was revealing in the sense that Inhye too is complicit in the way her family treats Yeonghye, while also being a victim of the same thing Yeonghye so fervently tried to free herself from. The commentary and themes involved, however, are so on the nose it makes me wonder what all of the abstract prose, including the triggering parts, was for.
The themes this book discusses are themes that can be efficiently and strongly presented without the absolute misery that is involved in reading this. The title would make you think that it is focused on Yeonghye, and her desires and fears, her anger and freedom, through the lense of meat—a topic that many other pieces of media and literature have tackled and have handled well. But Yeonghye is treated as an object both by the characters in this book and its narrative.
TLDR; If you want something that discusses a woman's anger and sadness, her liberation and her cage through her own eyes, look elsewhere. So many other books and movies have discussed objectification and sexualization, often in equally explicit ways this book has shown, and have done in it a way that empowers the protagonist and allows her to control her narrative. So many other pieces of media have the same themes and even the same metaphors (female hysteria, the consumption of meat being tied to a deep, internal emotion) in a more effective way. Honestly I'd skip reading this unless you're super curious.
The first two stories, told from the perspective of her husband and brother-in-law, (with some of Yeonghye's disjointed dreams peppered into the former), are just...hard to stomach. Trigger warnings here for sexual assault and the like. It was, for me, just a jarring description of Yeonghye's suffering through the condescending, objectifying lens of two of the men in her life that used her for their own purposes. In these stories, I wasn't struck by any deeper themes, meanings, or commentary other than the poor, awful strife of this woman.
The book comes alive in two places; Yeonghye's portrayal of her dreams—which is only present in the first story—and the third story, through the eyes of her older sister, Inhye. These are definitely the most gripping parts. But they are still lacking to me. While Yeonghye's perspective is the most striking, both in its commentary and prose, it is far too little to justify reading the whole thing. Inhye's story was revealing in the sense that Inhye too is complicit in the way her family treats Yeonghye, while also being a victim of the same thing Yeonghye so fervently tried to free herself from. The commentary and themes involved, however, are so on the nose it makes me wonder what all of the abstract prose, including the triggering parts, was for.
The themes this book discusses are themes that can be efficiently and strongly presented without the absolute misery that is involved in reading this. The title would make you think that it is focused on Yeonghye, and her desires and fears, her anger and freedom, through the lense of meat—a topic that many other pieces of media and literature have tackled and have handled well. But Yeonghye is treated as an object both by the characters in this book and its narrative.
TLDR; If you want something that discusses a woman's anger and sadness, her liberation and her cage through her own eyes, look elsewhere. So many other books and movies have discussed objectification and sexualization, often in equally explicit ways this book has shown, and have done in it a way that empowers the protagonist and allows her to control her narrative. So many other pieces of media have the same themes and even the same metaphors (female hysteria, the consumption of meat being tied to a deep, internal emotion) in a more effective way. Honestly I'd skip reading this unless you're super curious.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Sexual content
Moderate: Eating disorder and Suicide attempt