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holdentwalker 's review for:
The Vegetarian
by Han Kang
The Vegetarian has many layers. It is hard to tell whether it is a story about vegetarianism, mental health or gender-based violence. It seems to be about all of them and something more. I think, above all, it is about cruelty. The cruelty Yeong-hye endures, whether at the hands of her husband, father, brother-in-law, or the institution she is placed in at the end of the novel, seems to be the consistent throughline. Not to mention the connection between vegetarianism as, in many ways, a protest against cruelty.
There is so much to unpack here; it was an ideological minefield. However, I can't say it is particularly pleasant, nor does the novel speak to my soul the same way other readers have reported it speaking to theirs. Although I can, without a doubt, see this novel being life-changing for the right person, so I fully support all the accolades this text, and its author, have received over the years.
The Vegetarian is deranged but insightful. If anything, it is deeply interesting.
There is so much to unpack here; it was an ideological minefield. However, I can't say it is particularly pleasant, nor does the novel speak to my soul the same way other readers have reported it speaking to theirs. Although I can, without a doubt, see this novel being life-changing for the right person, so I fully support all the accolades this text, and its author, have received over the years.
The Vegetarian is deranged but insightful. If anything, it is deeply interesting.