A review by gray
The Vegetarian by Han Kang

dark tense medium-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

4.0

A haunting tale of resistance against the status quo written in three different perspectives that are never the main protagonist's.
Yeong hye is described as a regular married woman in Seoul who suddenly has a dream and decides to strictly become vegetarian.
In both the first and second chapters, the tale is narrated from the perspective of Yeong hye's husband and then her brother-in-law. She is both seen as a sexual object and a nuisance once she starts insisting on living as a vegetarian. However in the third chapter, we see her older sister In-hye share that her descent into "madness" has been because of how they were brought up and is more empathetic towards Yeonghye.

It feels like one of the best literary takes on feminism to me and how, even women in our society can be complicit to the abuse.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings