A review by madelinedalton
The Vegetarian by Han Kang

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

2.5

I can't believe a woman wrote this?? Feels like it was written by a man tbh. The men in this book are absolutely repulsive, and Yeong-hye is treated with zero dignity or redemptive arc. It also portrays mental illnesses as extreme, odd, and grotesque without offering much humanity to the person suffering. The prose is beautiful though. I guess if you like really fucked up shit, this is the book for you. I personally only like stories like that if they add something really nuanced and valuable to the conversation, but this book was fucked up for no apparent reason. I walked away not knowing what the book was trying to say. 

I put this book on my TBR because it was framed as an interesting story about someone who makes an unconventional choice and has to defend it in a society that's against them. That is NOT what this book is. It's actually a story about a person who is extremely mentally ill and makes irrational choices caused by the disorders from which she suffers. 
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