Scan barcode
A review by dr_dr_olshakes
The Vegetarian by Han Kang
dark
reflective
sad
slow-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
A pretty fucking tragic "good for her." Yeong-hye desperately wants to, and fully succeeds, at separating herself from the cruelty of consumption, violence, and even desire. It's a hard read because there's this sort of middle point, where it seems like she's gotten what she wants: a small life wherein she eats when and what she wants, and can exist as just an animal with a body, but the possessive actions of her brother-in-law, and his inability to understand her, rob her of that. Yeong-hye's final resort is to stop consuming all together which is both heartbreaking, but also...I ended up rooting for her to live as she wants, which to her, is to become a thing completely separate from the human experience of violence...and that means she has to die.
The choice of narrators is fascinating. We start with her husband, who cannot understand her and won't. And then her BiL, who projects onto her his own desires and understanding, and finally In-hye, her sister, who almost almost almost understands and on the brink of that understanding, chooses to look away.
It's a complicated ending, because you don't want this woman to die, but also, she wants it so badly...that you do.
The choice of narrators is fascinating. We start with her husband, who cannot understand her and won't. And then her BiL, who projects onto her his own desires and understanding, and finally In-hye, her sister, who almost almost almost understands and on the brink of that understanding, chooses to look away.
It's a complicated ending, because you don't want this woman to die, but also, she wants it so badly...that you do.