papapete24 's review for:

The Vegetarian by Han Kang

3.5

challenging dark reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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The Vegetarian is a novel set in contemporary South Korea. The titular character is a young housewife who (driven by a harrowing and grotesque dream) stops eating meat. This sets of a descent (or an ascent depending on interpretation) of the character and the people in her life. It struck me as odd that narrators in most of the book were the men in her life. One theme that clearly stands out is the theme of societal violence towards women and in Korean families and marriages. Marital rape is a frequent occurrence in the novel but that is simply one of many invasive violations of our female characters integrity and existence. One thought that kept bubbling up for me is how this novel will be interpreted in the west vs. Asian countries like Korea. The act of disconnecting from cultural food, the disruption of domestic duty, and the disobedience toward patriarchal figures (fathers and husbands) might hit harder in Korea and Japan. Scenes in this novel are frequently grotesque and tense. It reminds me of Murata's Earthlings in the theme of separating from society and trying to ascend to different plane of existence and the grotesque elements of some scenes. And it raises a question about who are the crazy individuals in society. Those who walk inline with these systems and norms of society or those who try to liberate themselves in some way. 3.5 stars

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt