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special_k7 's review for:
The Vegetarian
by Han Kang
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I think I lack some cultural context to truly understand this book. I can kind of see the objective merit of what is being told, but I just did not connect with the story or the characters. I did not feel affected in the way it probably intended to affect the reader.
Throughout the second chapter, I thought we were going to see the metamorphosis of Yeong-hye into this new woman with a determined stance and a firm voice. Into someone more confident in her decisions, more assertive in the way she wanted to experience the world, and bolder regarding her own body. This is how I pushed through that second chapter, which was truly an odd reading experience.
But then in the third part, I was quite disappointed. We get a half-assed backstory sprung upon us. We don't experience it through the characters, so there is no time to process the psychological impact of the sisters' childhoods. We are basically told Yeong-hye has mental health issues. Thus invalidating all the previous “choices” she has made. It kind of crushed the stance I thought the book was trying to convey. It felt like the author was equating (or linking) non-conformist choices with trauma and mental disability.
Throughout the second chapter, I thought we were going to see the metamorphosis of Yeong-hye into this new woman with a determined stance and a firm voice. Into someone more confident in her decisions, more assertive in the way she wanted to experience the world, and bolder regarding her own body. This is how I pushed through that second chapter, which was truly an odd reading experience.
But then in the third part, I was quite disappointed. We get a half-assed backstory sprung upon us. We don't experience it through the characters, so there is no time to process the psychological impact of the sisters' childhoods. We are basically told Yeong-hye has mental health issues. Thus invalidating all the previous “choices” she has made. It kind of crushed the stance I thought the book was trying to convey. It felt like the author was equating (or linking) non-conformist choices with trauma and mental disability.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Eating disorder, Medical content