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A review by ambroserr
The Vegetarian by Han Kang
challenging
dark
sad
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
2.0
Hm. Not for me. Like a Murakami novel from hell.
I was disappointed thatthere was nothing actually supernatural going on here. The fact that it was so much more about mental illness than I expected made the whole thing bleak in a way that I couldn't enjoy or find a way to access. I guess I was expecting there to be some literal Kafkaesque transformation, for the visions and dreams to come to greater life within the three characters we hear from, or to meet the force that caused these seemingly contagious and quite destructive changes. But none of those happen. It's sadder and more realistic than any of that.
I'm all for a novel that confronts violence against women, the violence of the meat industry and capitalism, and the violence society inflicts upon those who don't fit into the structure laid out for them. But this didn't offer me anything of value to help face those horrors, or any catharsis about navigating them. (I suspect that ineffable things or cultural intangibles may have been left behind in the translation. Obviously I can't know for sure.)
As a vegetarian, I was ready to be challenged/skewered/whatever. But a book about the bleak dreariness and absurdity of continuing on in this world?? No thanks. Sorry.
I was disappointed that
I'm all for a novel that confronts violence against women, the violence of the meat industry and capitalism, and the violence society inflicts upon those who don't fit into the structure laid out for them. But this didn't offer me anything of value to help face those horrors, or any catharsis about navigating them. (I suspect that ineffable things or cultural intangibles may have been left behind in the translation. Obviously I can't know for sure.)
As a vegetarian, I was ready to be challenged/skewered/whatever. But a book about the bleak dreariness and absurdity of continuing on in this world?? No thanks. Sorry.