A review by libraryofavirgo
The Vegetarian by Han Kang

challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

5.0

This was a highly unusual and thought provoking book. This is a translation, Kang is a South Korean author. Kang tells the story of Yeong-hye, a part-time graphic artist and home-maker, whose decision to stop eating meat after a particularly violent dream, and how her husband, family, and surrounding people react to it. It is shown that it is rare to become a vegetarian in South Korea as meat is a such a big part of their meals.

Despite the title, this novel doesn’t really have anything to do with vegetarianism, rather more of the link between trauma and mental health, and how easy it is to loose ourself when we no longer feel that we are in control of our own lives.

This novel is broken into three parts, each being told through a different perspective. We don’t really get to see Yeong-hye’s point of view more than a few sprinkles in the beginning, but rather it is told by the view of her husband, brother-in-law, and sister. With each part we get to see how Yeong-hye’s new diet is effecting those around her and as the story continuous we see a breakdown in her mental health.

Kang’s writing style is thought-provoking, where questions are followed with more questions instead of answers. This short book was able to build this reality that blurred the lines between fantasy and mental illness. We are presented with so many distinct voices and a roster of morally grey characters.

I do recommend this novel, though not for the faint of heart. This novel does not hesitate to go into the gory details, while relatively short, it deals with some very intense and heavy themes. So, if you are planning to read, I urge you to review the trigger warnings.