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丕賱賳亘丕鬲賷丞
亘廿噩賲丕毓貙 丕毓鬲購亘乇鬲 賴匕賴 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 丕賱丨丕卅夭丞 毓賱賶 噩丕卅夭丞 賲丕賳 亘賵賰乇 丕賱丿賵賱賷丞 2016貙 賵丕丨丿丞 賲賳 兀賮囟賱 賰鬲亘 丕賱毓丕賲.
賲孬賷乇丞 賱賱丿賴卮丞 賮毓賱賸丕貙 賱丕 鬲賵噩丿 賮賷賴丕 賰賱賲丞 賵丕丨丿丞 賲賴丿賵乇丞貙 賲賰鬲賵亘丞 亘丿賯丞 毓丕賱賷丞 賵亘廿禺鬲氐丕乇 亘賱賷睾貙 賵亘賱丕 鬲賱丕毓亘 亘丕賱爻乇丿鈥� 賯氐丞 毓賳 丕賱鬲毓丕賲賱 丕賱賮噩 賵丕賱賯丕爻賷 賲毓 丕賱賳爻丕亍貙 賵鬲兀賲賱 賮賷 丕賱賲毓丕賳丕丞 賵丕賱丨夭賳. 毓賳 丕賱賴乇賵亘 賲賳 丕賱賵丕賯毓 賵毓賳 丕賱禺賵丕亍 丕賱丿丕禺賱賷 賵毓賳 睾囟亘賳丕 丕賱賲鬲賮噩乇 毓賳丿賲丕 賳賰鬲卮賮 兀賳 賱丕 卮賷亍 賷賲賰賳 賮毓賱賴鈥� 丕賱賳亘丕鬲賷丞 乇賵丕賷丞 賷賰賲賳 噩賲丕賱賴丕 賮賷 賴賲噩賷鬲賴丕 賵囟乇丕賵鬲賴丕.
The Times
鬲毓丕賲賱 丕賱賰丕鬲亘丞 丕賱賲亘丿毓 賲毓 丕賱賯賵丞 賵丕賱禺賷丕乇 丕賱卮禺氐賷 賵丕賱禺囟賵毓 賵丕賱鬲丿賲賷乇 鬲賲鬲 氐賷丕睾鬲賴 亘亘乇丕毓丞.. 廿賳 乇賵丕賷丞 (丕賱賲爻禺) 賵兀毓賲丕賱 兀禺乇賶 賱賰丕賮賰丕 鬲爻賰賳 賮賷 乇賵丨 賴匕丕 丕賱賳氐....
New York Times Book Review
乇賵丕賷丞 毓賳 丕賱噩賳爻丕賳賷丞 賵丕賱噩賳賵賳貙 噩丿賷乇丞 亘賰賱 賴匕丕 丕賱賳噩丕丨 丕賱匕賷 賱丕賯鬲賴...
Ian McEwan
賲乇毓亘丞 賮賷 鬲氐賵賷乇 噩賴賱賳丕 亘丕賱丌禺乇貙 鬲丨賮乇 毓賲賷賯賸丕 賮賷 噩賵丕賳亘 賲馗賱賲丞 賮賷 丕賱賳賮爻 丕賱亘卮乇賷丞貙 賲鬲賲乇丿丞 賵賲爻鬲賮夭丞 賵匕賰賷丞 賵賱丕 賷賲賰賳 賳爻賷丕賳賴丕.
Publishers Weekly
爻賷乇睾亘 丕賱賯乇賾丕亍 賮賷 賯乇丕亍丞 丕賱賲夭賷丿 賲賳 賴匕賴 丕賱氐賵乇 丕賱氐丕丿賲丞 丕賱兀賰孬乇 卮賰賵賰賳丕 毓賲賯賸丕 賵賱賯賳丕毓丕鬲賳丕 賵鬲賵賯賳丕 賵乇睾亘丕鬲賳丕.
Book List
亘氐賵乇 爻賵乇賷丕賱賷丞 賵賱丨馗丕鬲 賲禺賷賮丞 賲賳 丕賱賯賳賵胤 賵丕賱賷兀爻貙 賵亘賯丿乇丞 毓丕賱賷丞 毓賱賶 丕賱廿賯賳丕毓貙 鬲賰鬲亘 賴丕賳 毓賳 丕賱賯賵丞 丕賱賲丿賲乇丞 賱賱丕卮鬲賷丕賯 賵賱賱乇睾亘丞.. 賵亘賮丕賳鬲丕夭賷丞 睾乇賷亘丞 鬲噩賵賱 賮賷 毓賲賯 丕賱鬲噩乇亘丞 丕賱廿賳爻丕賳賷丞 賱丕爻鬲賰卮丕賮 兀賳 賴賳丕賰 賲賻賳 賱賲 賷毓丿 乇丕囟賷賸丕 毓賳 丨賷丕鬲賴 賰賲丕 賴賷.. 乇賵丕賷丞 睾賷乇 毓丕丿賷丞 亘丕賱賲乇賾丞.
Kirkus
兀丨賱丕賲 爻賵丿丕賵賷丞.. 賲卮丕毓乇 賲賴鬲丕噩丞.. 毓賮賵賷丞 賲丐孬乇丞.. 兀賱賵丕賳 賲丿賴卮丞 賵兀爻卅賱丞 賲丨賷賾乇丞... 鬲兀禺匕賳丕 賮賷 賴匕賴 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 噩賲賱丞 亘毓丿 噩賲賱丞 廿賱賶 鬲噩乇亘丞 賮乇賷丿丞 爻賷賰賵賳 賲賳 丕賱氐毓亘 賲賳丕賮爻鬲賴丕.
The Guardian
賲孬賷乇丞 賱賱丿賴卮丞 賮毓賱賸丕貙 賱丕 鬲賵噩丿 賮賷賴丕 賰賱賲丞 賵丕丨丿丞 賲賴丿賵乇丞貙 賲賰鬲賵亘丞 亘丿賯丞 毓丕賱賷丞 賵亘廿禺鬲氐丕乇 亘賱賷睾貙 賵亘賱丕 鬲賱丕毓亘 亘丕賱爻乇丿鈥� 賯氐丞 毓賳 丕賱鬲毓丕賲賱 丕賱賮噩 賵丕賱賯丕爻賷 賲毓 丕賱賳爻丕亍貙 賵鬲兀賲賱 賮賷 丕賱賲毓丕賳丕丞 賵丕賱丨夭賳. 毓賳 丕賱賴乇賵亘 賲賳 丕賱賵丕賯毓 賵毓賳 丕賱禺賵丕亍 丕賱丿丕禺賱賷 賵毓賳 睾囟亘賳丕 丕賱賲鬲賮噩乇 毓賳丿賲丕 賳賰鬲卮賮 兀賳 賱丕 卮賷亍 賷賲賰賳 賮毓賱賴鈥� 丕賱賳亘丕鬲賷丞 乇賵丕賷丞 賷賰賲賳 噩賲丕賱賴丕 賮賷 賴賲噩賷鬲賴丕 賵囟乇丕賵鬲賴丕.
The Times
鬲毓丕賲賱 丕賱賰丕鬲亘丞 丕賱賲亘丿毓 賲毓 丕賱賯賵丞 賵丕賱禺賷丕乇 丕賱卮禺氐賷 賵丕賱禺囟賵毓 賵丕賱鬲丿賲賷乇 鬲賲鬲 氐賷丕睾鬲賴 亘亘乇丕毓丞.. 廿賳 乇賵丕賷丞 (丕賱賲爻禺) 賵兀毓賲丕賱 兀禺乇賶 賱賰丕賮賰丕 鬲爻賰賳 賮賷 乇賵丨 賴匕丕 丕賱賳氐....
New York Times Book Review
乇賵丕賷丞 毓賳 丕賱噩賳爻丕賳賷丞 賵丕賱噩賳賵賳貙 噩丿賷乇丞 亘賰賱 賴匕丕 丕賱賳噩丕丨 丕賱匕賷 賱丕賯鬲賴...
Ian McEwan
賲乇毓亘丞 賮賷 鬲氐賵賷乇 噩賴賱賳丕 亘丕賱丌禺乇貙 鬲丨賮乇 毓賲賷賯賸丕 賮賷 噩賵丕賳亘 賲馗賱賲丞 賮賷 丕賱賳賮爻 丕賱亘卮乇賷丞貙 賲鬲賲乇丿丞 賵賲爻鬲賮夭丞 賵匕賰賷丞 賵賱丕 賷賲賰賳 賳爻賷丕賳賴丕.
Publishers Weekly
爻賷乇睾亘 丕賱賯乇賾丕亍 賮賷 賯乇丕亍丞 丕賱賲夭賷丿 賲賳 賴匕賴 丕賱氐賵乇 丕賱氐丕丿賲丞 丕賱兀賰孬乇 卮賰賵賰賳丕 毓賲賯賸丕 賵賱賯賳丕毓丕鬲賳丕 賵鬲賵賯賳丕 賵乇睾亘丕鬲賳丕.
Book List
亘氐賵乇 爻賵乇賷丕賱賷丞 賵賱丨馗丕鬲 賲禺賷賮丞 賲賳 丕賱賯賳賵胤 賵丕賱賷兀爻貙 賵亘賯丿乇丞 毓丕賱賷丞 毓賱賶 丕賱廿賯賳丕毓貙 鬲賰鬲亘 賴丕賳 毓賳 丕賱賯賵丞 丕賱賲丿賲乇丞 賱賱丕卮鬲賷丕賯 賵賱賱乇睾亘丞.. 賵亘賮丕賳鬲丕夭賷丞 睾乇賷亘丞 鬲噩賵賱 賮賷 毓賲賯 丕賱鬲噩乇亘丞 丕賱廿賳爻丕賳賷丞 賱丕爻鬲賰卮丕賮 兀賳 賴賳丕賰 賲賻賳 賱賲 賷毓丿 乇丕囟賷賸丕 毓賳 丨賷丕鬲賴 賰賲丕 賴賷.. 乇賵丕賷丞 睾賷乇 毓丕丿賷丞 亘丕賱賲乇賾丞.
Kirkus
兀丨賱丕賲 爻賵丿丕賵賷丞.. 賲卮丕毓乇 賲賴鬲丕噩丞.. 毓賮賵賷丞 賲丐孬乇丞.. 兀賱賵丕賳 賲丿賴卮丞 賵兀爻卅賱丞 賲丨賷賾乇丞... 鬲兀禺匕賳丕 賮賷 賴匕賴 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 噩賲賱丞 亘毓丿 噩賲賱丞 廿賱賶 鬲噩乇亘丞 賮乇賷丿丞 爻賷賰賵賳 賲賳 丕賱氐毓亘 賲賳丕賮爻鬲賴丕.
The Guardian
224 pages, Paperback
First published October 30, 2007
17k people are currently reading
283k people want to read
About the author
Han Kang
57听books9,383听followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the 欧宝娱乐 database.
靻岇劋臧赌 顷滉皶
Han Kang was born in 1970 in South Korea. She is the author of The Vegetarian, winner of the International Booker Prize, as well as Human Acts, The White Book, Greek Lessons, and We Do Not Part. In 2024, she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature 鈥渇or her intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life.鈥�
靻岇劋臧赌 顷滉皶
Han Kang was born in 1970 in South Korea. She is the author of The Vegetarian, winner of the International Booker Prize, as well as Human Acts, The White Book, Greek Lessons, and We Do Not Part. In 2024, she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature 鈥渇or her intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life.鈥�
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40,328 reviews
October 13, 2020
This book wasn鈥檛 a casual read for me. This is deeply personal to my own beliefs. I鈥檓 a vegan. This book sung a song that I heard in my marrow; it made me realise so much.
As a vegan I鈥檝e experienced some of the things that I witnessed here. I can relate to it. I鈥檝e lived it. I鈥檝e been called a heretic. I鈥檝e lost friends over it, and experienced much social awkwardness just for my lifestyle choice. I鈥檓 not pushy with my beliefs. Sometimes all it takes is a mention of the word 鈥渧egetarian鈥� to be received with utter hostility or blankness. This review isn鈥檛 about the ethics involved with the diet. That鈥檚 not important to this story. What鈥檚 important is how people can react to someone different to themselves. The vegetarian in here acts as a metaphor for individual life choices.
鈥淚 was convinced that there was more going on here than a simple case of vegetarianism.鈥�
For 鈥渢he vegetarian,鈥� being different to the world leads to social isolation and feelings of utter despair. Her husband is utterly useless in every regard. He is the sort of man who simply doesn鈥檛 deserve a wife. This no equal partnership, but the wife living to serve the man鈥檚 needs. It鈥檚 all about finding the right people, the accepting people in society. And this comes far too late and in far too a meek form to have any lasting effect on her: it came when she was already lost. The self-destructive behaviour isn鈥檛 testimony to a vegetarian diet. I speak from experience, these can be very healthy. It鈥檚 an act of rebellion against a society that refused to be warm to someone who didn鈥檛 conform.
鈥渢he sight of her lying there utterly without resistance, yet armored by the power of her own renunciation, was so intense as to bring tears to his eyes.鈥�
But, this is only the premise of the novel. It鈥檚 also about sexual desire, the unwavering power of lust and sheer emotional enthralment. However, it鈥檚 not about the body as an object of sexual desire; it鈥檚 not about the attractiveness, or the unattractiveness, of the female or male form; that鈥檚 just meat: it鈥檚 about the power of the individual: it鈥檚 about the power of an idealistic free spirit. And this is what drew me to the book. The lust in here is freedom. It is the ability to make one鈥檚 own life choice and live in harmony with the rest of the world. Labels don鈥檛 matter. Restrictions don鈥檛 matter. What matters is the freedom to be who you are and what you are. Whether or not this is a vegetarian, homosexual, transgender, a Buddhist Monk or a Christian isn鈥檛 overly important. What matters is choice. The vegetarian in here serves as a metaphor, a rallying cry, for a more accepting world. It鈥檚 a brutal reminder of the narrowmindedness that infects this planet towards those that fall through the cracks of society.
Some readers may see the exploration of mental illness, though what I see is mental illness born of sheer social isolation and spiritual depravation. If a person belongs nowhere, and those that are supposed to be closest to her ignore her, then only maladaptive thinking can occur. Only detrimental cognitive functioning will be born. What 鈥渢he Vegetarian鈥� needed in here was someone to understand her individuality and to respect it. Instead the coldness she receives sends her own a downward spiral of delusional fantasy, very poetic fantasy.
This is a book like no other.
___________________________________
You can connect with me on social media via .
__________________________________
As a vegan I鈥檝e experienced some of the things that I witnessed here. I can relate to it. I鈥檝e lived it. I鈥檝e been called a heretic. I鈥檝e lost friends over it, and experienced much social awkwardness just for my lifestyle choice. I鈥檓 not pushy with my beliefs. Sometimes all it takes is a mention of the word 鈥渧egetarian鈥� to be received with utter hostility or blankness. This review isn鈥檛 about the ethics involved with the diet. That鈥檚 not important to this story. What鈥檚 important is how people can react to someone different to themselves. The vegetarian in here acts as a metaphor for individual life choices.
鈥淚 was convinced that there was more going on here than a simple case of vegetarianism.鈥�
For 鈥渢he vegetarian,鈥� being different to the world leads to social isolation and feelings of utter despair. Her husband is utterly useless in every regard. He is the sort of man who simply doesn鈥檛 deserve a wife. This no equal partnership, but the wife living to serve the man鈥檚 needs. It鈥檚 all about finding the right people, the accepting people in society. And this comes far too late and in far too a meek form to have any lasting effect on her: it came when she was already lost. The self-destructive behaviour isn鈥檛 testimony to a vegetarian diet. I speak from experience, these can be very healthy. It鈥檚 an act of rebellion against a society that refused to be warm to someone who didn鈥檛 conform.
鈥渢he sight of her lying there utterly without resistance, yet armored by the power of her own renunciation, was so intense as to bring tears to his eyes.鈥�
But, this is only the premise of the novel. It鈥檚 also about sexual desire, the unwavering power of lust and sheer emotional enthralment. However, it鈥檚 not about the body as an object of sexual desire; it鈥檚 not about the attractiveness, or the unattractiveness, of the female or male form; that鈥檚 just meat: it鈥檚 about the power of the individual: it鈥檚 about the power of an idealistic free spirit. And this is what drew me to the book. The lust in here is freedom. It is the ability to make one鈥檚 own life choice and live in harmony with the rest of the world. Labels don鈥檛 matter. Restrictions don鈥檛 matter. What matters is the freedom to be who you are and what you are. Whether or not this is a vegetarian, homosexual, transgender, a Buddhist Monk or a Christian isn鈥檛 overly important. What matters is choice. The vegetarian in here serves as a metaphor, a rallying cry, for a more accepting world. It鈥檚 a brutal reminder of the narrowmindedness that infects this planet towards those that fall through the cracks of society.
Some readers may see the exploration of mental illness, though what I see is mental illness born of sheer social isolation and spiritual depravation. If a person belongs nowhere, and those that are supposed to be closest to her ignore her, then only maladaptive thinking can occur. Only detrimental cognitive functioning will be born. What 鈥渢he Vegetarian鈥� needed in here was someone to understand her individuality and to respect it. Instead the coldness she receives sends her own a downward spiral of delusional fantasy, very poetic fantasy.
This is a book like no other.
___________________________________
You can connect with me on social media via .
__________________________________
March 9, 2021
鈥淚t鈥檚 your body, you can treat it however you please. The only area where you鈥檙e free to do just as you like. And even that doesn鈥檛 turn out how you wanted.鈥�
I don鈥檛 even know how to begin describing this novel. I鈥檓 guessing that in a year鈥檚 time or more, it will still hold true that this was one of the most haunting, unsettling and tragic novels I鈥檝e read in a long time. For a slim book, there鈥檚 a great deal to mull over and discuss. There are many different ways of looking at this besides what meets the eye. Don鈥檛 let the title fool you. This isn鈥檛 simply a book about a woman that renounces meat and animal by-products. It鈥檚 a story about autonomy over one鈥檚 body and one鈥檚 life and the repercussions of a lack thereof. It probes the harmful ramifications of patriarchal societies, violence, and victimization. It explores mental illness. I鈥檓 not even touching on everything here. This is some heavy stuff!
鈥淓verything starts to feel unfamiliar. As if I鈥檝e come up to the back of something. Shut up behind a door without a handle. Perhaps I鈥檓 only now coming face-to-face with the thing that has always been here. It鈥檚 dark. Everything is being snuffed out in the pitch-black darkness.鈥�
The subject of this novel is Yeong-hye. She鈥檚 not actually given a voice here except for a few very brief passages, as in the quote above, when she recounts the nightmares that led her to turn to vegetarianism. Instead, the book is split into three parts giving the perspectives of her husband, her brother-in-law, and eventually her sister. Not for one second did I ever feel any sympathy for the men. That鈥檚 not to say that I wasn鈥檛 wholly absorbed by the first two sections, because I surely was. What ultimately made the story for me, however, was the last section when we heard from In-hye, the sister. This was truly poignant and thought provoking. What makes one person suffer from mental illness while another does not? I鈥檝e often considered that the boundary between a diagnosed illness versus a non-diagnosis can be a bit blurred at times. What about responsibility to another 鈥� how does that affect us psychologically? How do we protect those we love?
鈥淚f it hadn鈥檛 been for Ji-woo鈥攊f it hadn鈥檛 been for the sense of responsibility she felt toward him鈥攑erhaps she too might have relinquished her grip on that thread.鈥�
I ended up with more questions by the time I turned the last page. I鈥檝e had experience with a close loved one with a mental illness. As a child it鈥檚 scary and disconcerting. For me personally it heavily influenced my development as an adolescent and young adult. It affected many of my choices. I often think about the effects of mental illness on the functioning of a family. Han Kang has made me think about it that much more. What a powerful, beautiful torment of a book this was.
鈥淟ife is such a strange thing鈥� Even after certain things have happened to them, no matter how awful the experience, people still go on eating and drinking, going to the toilet and washing themselves - living, in other words. And sometimes they even laugh out loud.鈥�
I don鈥檛 even know how to begin describing this novel. I鈥檓 guessing that in a year鈥檚 time or more, it will still hold true that this was one of the most haunting, unsettling and tragic novels I鈥檝e read in a long time. For a slim book, there鈥檚 a great deal to mull over and discuss. There are many different ways of looking at this besides what meets the eye. Don鈥檛 let the title fool you. This isn鈥檛 simply a book about a woman that renounces meat and animal by-products. It鈥檚 a story about autonomy over one鈥檚 body and one鈥檚 life and the repercussions of a lack thereof. It probes the harmful ramifications of patriarchal societies, violence, and victimization. It explores mental illness. I鈥檓 not even touching on everything here. This is some heavy stuff!
鈥淓verything starts to feel unfamiliar. As if I鈥檝e come up to the back of something. Shut up behind a door without a handle. Perhaps I鈥檓 only now coming face-to-face with the thing that has always been here. It鈥檚 dark. Everything is being snuffed out in the pitch-black darkness.鈥�
The subject of this novel is Yeong-hye. She鈥檚 not actually given a voice here except for a few very brief passages, as in the quote above, when she recounts the nightmares that led her to turn to vegetarianism. Instead, the book is split into three parts giving the perspectives of her husband, her brother-in-law, and eventually her sister. Not for one second did I ever feel any sympathy for the men. That鈥檚 not to say that I wasn鈥檛 wholly absorbed by the first two sections, because I surely was. What ultimately made the story for me, however, was the last section when we heard from In-hye, the sister. This was truly poignant and thought provoking. What makes one person suffer from mental illness while another does not? I鈥檝e often considered that the boundary between a diagnosed illness versus a non-diagnosis can be a bit blurred at times. What about responsibility to another 鈥� how does that affect us psychologically? How do we protect those we love?
鈥淚f it hadn鈥檛 been for Ji-woo鈥攊f it hadn鈥檛 been for the sense of responsibility she felt toward him鈥攑erhaps she too might have relinquished her grip on that thread.鈥�
I ended up with more questions by the time I turned the last page. I鈥檝e had experience with a close loved one with a mental illness. As a child it鈥檚 scary and disconcerting. For me personally it heavily influenced my development as an adolescent and young adult. It affected many of my choices. I often think about the effects of mental illness on the functioning of a family. Han Kang has made me think about it that much more. What a powerful, beautiful torment of a book this was.
鈥淟ife is such a strange thing鈥� Even after certain things have happened to them, no matter how awful the experience, people still go on eating and drinking, going to the toilet and washing themselves - living, in other words. And sometimes they even laugh out loud.鈥�
March 27, 2017
Honestly, in this case, I'm much more interested in reading other people's reviews of the book rather than writing my own. I just feel like there are so many layers here, so many things that need to be discussed, so many unique interpretations, so many questions.
The first third of The Vegetarian is very Kafka-esque. It has a very Metamorphosis vibe to it. Maybe a little bit of Bird Box to give you a more contemporary example. It was dark. It was weird. It was bleak. It felt like every sentence belonged there. There wasn't any filler or fluff to bulk up the length. I was all in, too. I was waiting to solve the mystery and figure out what the heck was going on.
Then, the second act hits and I realized this book is something completely different than what I expected. I was mildly annoyed at the kind of abrasive shift away from what I wanted the book to be, but once I got over myself and continued to read, I loved the book for completely different reasons. I didn't even know why I liked it really. I kinda felt awkward at times, but then I got over myself again.
The third and final act doesn't answer a lot of questions. It actually leaves you with a lot of questions, but not about the story- more about deeper issues like what it is to be human, innocence, and violence. Nothing about not eating animals. Don't let the title fool you. The Vegetarian takes things to a much deeper level than if killing animals is wrong. I barely remember that being discussed.
Here's the best way I can break this down for you. Ever watched a good foreign film? You know how in a lot of foreign films there aren't millions of dollars invested into CGI and fhe actors and actresses look like real people? The movie is focused on the dialogue and the story rather than looking and sounding amazing. At the end, you feel something inside and you're thinking, man, I didn't know movies could be like this. I haven't seen anything like this before. That's how The Vegetarian is- translated into English from a South Korean author that doesn't look or feel like any book you've read before. You put it down and you're like, man, I didn't know books could be like this. I haven't read anything like this before.
Eat animals or don't. Whatever. But check this one out. It's under 200 pages. Spend a Sunday afternoon with it.
The first third of The Vegetarian is very Kafka-esque. It has a very Metamorphosis vibe to it. Maybe a little bit of Bird Box to give you a more contemporary example. It was dark. It was weird. It was bleak. It felt like every sentence belonged there. There wasn't any filler or fluff to bulk up the length. I was all in, too. I was waiting to solve the mystery and figure out what the heck was going on.
Then, the second act hits and I realized this book is something completely different than what I expected. I was mildly annoyed at the kind of abrasive shift away from what I wanted the book to be, but once I got over myself and continued to read, I loved the book for completely different reasons. I didn't even know why I liked it really. I kinda felt awkward at times, but then I got over myself again.
The third and final act doesn't answer a lot of questions. It actually leaves you with a lot of questions, but not about the story- more about deeper issues like what it is to be human, innocence, and violence. Nothing about not eating animals. Don't let the title fool you. The Vegetarian takes things to a much deeper level than if killing animals is wrong. I barely remember that being discussed.
Here's the best way I can break this down for you. Ever watched a good foreign film? You know how in a lot of foreign films there aren't millions of dollars invested into CGI and fhe actors and actresses look like real people? The movie is focused on the dialogue and the story rather than looking and sounding amazing. At the end, you feel something inside and you're thinking, man, I didn't know movies could be like this. I haven't seen anything like this before. That's how The Vegetarian is- translated into English from a South Korean author that doesn't look or feel like any book you've read before. You put it down and you're like, man, I didn't know books could be like this. I haven't read anything like this before.
Eat animals or don't. Whatever. But check this one out. It's under 200 pages. Spend a Sunday afternoon with it.
August 26, 2017
Nope.
This is the story of two sisters & their husbands & one woman's tendency toward violent, graphic dreams.
Honestly, I'm not sure what I was supposed to take from this book & I'm not going to pretend for the sake of sounding intelligent or profound that I "got it."
I absolutely did not enjoy reading this, and I'm thankful it was over quickly. The men in this book are repulsive & selfish, and I could not identify with either sister. The lack of straightforward communication between all of the characters was consistently annoying.
And maybe that was the point, I don't know.
Maybe I was supposed to feel irritated throughout the whole novel?
Maybe the outright objectification of both women by every single male they come into contact with was supposed to speak to societal expectations between men & women?
Maybe the lack of agency both women seem to have was supposed to encompass widespread lack of agency among women in general?
Maybe all the weird, sexually graphic imagery was a parallel for the mass produced & detached quality of the porn industry?
Maybe my lack of experience with the culture prevents me from understanding the higher meaning here?
Truly, I don't know.
Regardless of the intended message, or what others seem to have taken from this novel, reading this was frustrating. I don't think the method of delivery worked for me. You win some, you lose some, I guess.
This is the story of two sisters & their husbands & one woman's tendency toward violent, graphic dreams.
Honestly, I'm not sure what I was supposed to take from this book & I'm not going to pretend for the sake of sounding intelligent or profound that I "got it."
I absolutely did not enjoy reading this, and I'm thankful it was over quickly. The men in this book are repulsive & selfish, and I could not identify with either sister. The lack of straightforward communication between all of the characters was consistently annoying.
And maybe that was the point, I don't know.
Maybe I was supposed to feel irritated throughout the whole novel?
Maybe the outright objectification of both women by every single male they come into contact with was supposed to speak to societal expectations between men & women?
Maybe the lack of agency both women seem to have was supposed to encompass widespread lack of agency among women in general?
Maybe all the weird, sexually graphic imagery was a parallel for the mass produced & detached quality of the porn industry?
Maybe my lack of experience with the culture prevents me from understanding the higher meaning here?
Truly, I don't know.
Regardless of the intended message, or what others seem to have taken from this novel, reading this was frustrating. I don't think the method of delivery worked for me. You win some, you lose some, I guess.
November 22, 2017
Well . . . um . . . yeah . . . so
I guess that was good . . . maybe . . .
Kinda weird . . . I think . . .
Definitely a bit much . . . oh, no doubt . . . but . . .
Poignant perhaps . . . certainly heart strings were tugged . . . however . . .
Confusion! Yes! That's it . . . or, maybe not . . .
100% sure I was 90% moved by being 80% lost while at the same time being 70% disturbed . . .
This book . . . yup . . . it's . . . sure, I guess?
I guess that was good . . . maybe . . .
Kinda weird . . . I think . . .
Definitely a bit much . . . oh, no doubt . . . but . . .
Poignant perhaps . . . certainly heart strings were tugged . . . however . . .
Confusion! Yes! That's it . . . or, maybe not . . .
100% sure I was 90% moved by being 80% lost while at the same time being 70% disturbed . . .
This book . . . yup . . . it's . . . sure, I guess?
January 28, 2024
I am my own worst enemy.
I am the one who eats all the cookies, for example, preventing myself from having cookies to eat. I am the one who accidentally stays up until the wee hours of the morning because I suddenly need to research that mass-hysteria-in-medieval-France thing where no one could stop laughing.
And most pertinently, I am the one who said 鈥渞eview and rating to come鈥� on this book, assuming future me would have figured out my feelings.
Spoiler alert: Future me has not figured out anything.
So here we are. Hoping to write ourselves into an opinion.
Here鈥檚 what I鈥檝e got:
- this is very weird.
- But a good kind of weird, where it makes you think, and you notice things you otherwise may not have because you鈥檙e like 鈥渢ruly what is going on I have to figure this out.鈥�
- Once you start doing that, this is incredibly thematically rich.
- Here are some themes I noticed and liked:
- Parallels between vegetarianism and sexual assault
- Relatedly, misogyny and the treatment of women, tied to nature and animals
- The perception of what is ordinary versus what is extraordinary
- Wife swap!!!
I鈥檝e been in very much a quantity over quality mood lately when it comes to reading, prioritizing getting to a book a day over reading books that will slow down and make me think.
And this was very refreshing.
Bottom line: I have decided - four stars!!!
-------------
i will need to reflect on this book for 3-5 months before i say a single word about it.
review to come / WHO KNOWS THE RATING
-------------
don't mind me, just doing some chill, relaxed reading by picking up a book people have called "terrifying" and "unhinged"
I am the one who eats all the cookies, for example, preventing myself from having cookies to eat. I am the one who accidentally stays up until the wee hours of the morning because I suddenly need to research that mass-hysteria-in-medieval-France thing where no one could stop laughing.
And most pertinently, I am the one who said 鈥渞eview and rating to come鈥� on this book, assuming future me would have figured out my feelings.
Spoiler alert: Future me has not figured out anything.
So here we are. Hoping to write ourselves into an opinion.
Here鈥檚 what I鈥檝e got:
- this is very weird.
- But a good kind of weird, where it makes you think, and you notice things you otherwise may not have because you鈥檙e like 鈥渢ruly what is going on I have to figure this out.鈥�
- Once you start doing that, this is incredibly thematically rich.
- Here are some themes I noticed and liked:
- Parallels between vegetarianism and sexual assault
- Relatedly, misogyny and the treatment of women, tied to nature and animals
- The perception of what is ordinary versus what is extraordinary
- Wife swap!!!
I鈥檝e been in very much a quantity over quality mood lately when it comes to reading, prioritizing getting to a book a day over reading books that will slow down and make me think.
And this was very refreshing.
Bottom line: I have decided - four stars!!!
-------------
i will need to reflect on this book for 3-5 months before i say a single word about it.
review to come / WHO KNOWS THE RATING
-------------
don't mind me, just doing some chill, relaxed reading by picking up a book people have called "terrifying" and "unhinged"
March 14, 2020
wtfno.
Book 10 of 30 for my 30 day reading challenge. And now I'm 3 days behind on my challenge because this book was exhausting to get through.
Book 10 of 30 for my 30 day reading challenge. And now I'm 3 days behind on my challenge because this book was exhausting to get through.
March 29, 2025
There are few greater honors in the global literary community than being awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature and I am thrilled to learn that South Korean author Han Kang has now had her name immortalized in this list of honorees. Chaesikjuuija鈥�The Vegetarian in English鈥攊s 碍补苍驳鈥檚 best known work, winning the Booker International Prize in 2016 along with translator , and is a searing portrait of obdurate patriarchal societies that strangle out women's autonomy in order to more strongly shackle them to a life of passivity and familial obedience. The Vegetarian is a tapestry of four interwoven lives in three voices emphasizing the lack of agency afforded to the life most central to the narrative: Yeong-hye, the wife of Mr. Cheong who鈥檚 鈥�life was no more than a ghostly pageant of exhausted endurance,鈥� at the hands of those around her. At least until she decides to stop eating meat. Told in a darkly poetic prose strong enough to hold a host of horrors, Kang cuts through the masks of society until 鈥�familiarity bleeds into strangeness, certainty becomes impossible鈥� in order for her to take critical aim at forces of violence and control. Sharp, sinister and surreal, The Vegetarian is a powerful tale of the aggressions aimed at those who step outside the social norms and the misogynistic assumptions that impose subservience and suppression and it makes for a truly unforgettable read.
鈥�It鈥檚 your body, you can treat it however you please. The only area where you鈥檙e free to do just as you like. And even that doesn鈥檛 turn out how you wanted.鈥�
Originally published in South Korea as three novellas, The Vegetarians three sections, each from the voice of a different character, stitches the perspectives of family in orbit around the story of Yeong-hye. We begin with her husband, Mr. Cheong, who enjoyed her being 鈥�completely unremarkable in every way,鈥� and because 鈥�it was rare for her to demand anything of me鈥� making her suited to be the quiet, submissive wife he desires. Her choosing to refrain from eating meat is an annoyance to him, but his real frustration is her desire to attain bodily autonomy as he believes 鈥�it was nothing but sheer obstinacy for a wife to go against her husband's wishes.鈥� We move to her brother-in-law as he uses his art to seduce her but, like Mr. Cheong, becomes angry when her actions are less in submission to his sexual hunger but instead enacted as a way to perform her body in a way she desires. Finally we have her sister who is haunted by Yeong-hye鈥檚 refusal to eat but beings to understand it as an act of resistance.
Kang orchestrates these characters in a sort of destructive dance where we find them rather inscrutable to one another. Or often to themselves.There is a certain sorrow to discover those closest elude decoding or have interior lives we cannot decode, such as In-hye鈥檚 revelations after divorcing her husband:
The incomprehensibility becomes a clever theme on how our best efforts to understand each other often amounts to placing the personality of others into a box of faulty assumptions and then becoming upset when they act off script of our presumptions. It shines a spotlight on the assumption of control one might impose upon others, a control that becomes harshly oppressive when it is enabled by misogynistic gender roles and feels threatened by any resistance to it.
Which is what Kang executes so brilliantly here by denying Yeong-hye a voice similarly to how it has been suppressed by those around her and she must have her own thoughts decentered from her own story to instead have it told through the flawed assumptions of others who can鈥檛 truly comprehend her, or, such as the men narrating the first two sections, could never begin to understand what it is like to live as a woman denied any sense of self-agency.
鈥�She had never lived. Even as a child, as far back as she could remember, she had done nothing but endure.鈥�
Yeong-hye, 鈥�a woman of few words,鈥� represents the push and pull between the desire for an authentic, autonomous self and the socially imposed role of a subordinate, familial self. Haunted by horrific dreams of meat and violence, she decides to be a vegetarian as a refusal to be a part of the violence all around. In this way she views plant life as a sort of innocence and her draw to the brother-in-law is only mistaken as sexual when in actuality she enjoys the flowers he paints on her naked body as symbolic of becoming innocence or, better yet, being able to choose to be painted as a symbol. But her actions are met with the consequences of societal disdain, reflected in her husband's anger and the family attempting to force her to eat meat.
The idea that she could have a sense of agency is outright offensive to those around her. 鈥�Look at yourself, now! Stop eating meat, and the world will devour you whole.鈥� Even in her attempts to not eat entirely, she is held into a hospital bed with a feeding tube shoved into her nose. The message is clear: you cannot have autonomy. The novel steers us through episodes of social enforcement of norms, with Kang emphasizing the violence society tolerates in order to uphold its narrow values.
鈥� In-hye stares fiercely at the trees. As if waiting for an answer. As if protesting against something.鈥�
碍补苍驳鈥檚 The Vegetarian is situated in a South Korean society that has grappled with issues glaring issues of oppression against women, one that has only in the years since the novel was first published in 2007. Kang takes aim at in South Korea such as with South Korean being amongst the despite a generally low homicide rate, gender inequality problems such as having , and until 2013 marital rape was (such as is seen in the novel). While Yeong-hye鈥檚 actions are seen as outrageous to others, Kang depicts her and her role in life in such a way that one can certainly see that her refusal to submit 鈥�as if boundaries and limitations didn鈥檛 mean anything for her鈥� may be the only reasonable actions in the story.
鈥� She was no longer able to cope with all that her sister reminded her of. She鈥檇 been unable to forgive her for soaring alone over a boundary she herself could never bring herself to cross, unable to forgive that magnificent irresponsibility that had enabled Yeong-hye to shuck off social constraints and leave her behind, still a prisoner. And before Yeong-hye had broken those bars, she鈥檇 never even known they were there.鈥�
While the novel may have raised controversy with its subject matter, Deborah Smith鈥檚 translation into English raised more controversy. Soon after winning the Booker International, Smith鈥檚 English translation began to receive harsh criticism in Korean literary communities and presses, stirring a bit of with one critic stating the book was 鈥�so different that it was more reasonable to speak of Smith鈥檚 work as an adaptation, not a translation. 鈥� Smith has defended her artistic choices and while she admits 鈥�there's plenty to criticize in my translation,鈥� she stands by it and says her aim was to capture the spirit over one-to-one translation. 鈥�Translators feel a great responsibility to the original text,鈥� she explained in the press, 鈥�I would only permit myself an infidelity for the sake of a greater fidelity.鈥� Readers can decide for themselves and, personally, I鈥檓 a huge fan of translated works because it allows for a greater global community around literature that I鈥攁nd many others鈥攃ouldn鈥檛 read otherwise. In , Deborah Smith voiced concerns that the criticisms of her work and 碍补苍驳鈥檚 original seemed to be a method of distracting from its message:
Personally, I quite enjoyed the read though I have no way to know accuracy, and Han Kang has defended Smith鈥檚 choices and has continued to have her works translated by Smith. 鈥�What makes me worry,鈥� Smith expresses, 鈥�is when the desire to prove a particular argument about a translation encourages a misleading view of the original 鈥� in this case, overlooking the poetry I and many others see in Han's writing.鈥� There is indeed a beautiful poetry here, even in all the darkness and violence of the text. 鈥�Translating from Korean into English involves moving from a language more accommodating of ambiguity, repetition, and plain prose, to one that favors precision, concision, and lyricism,鈥� she continues, 鈥�this is simultaneously a gross generalization and an observable phenomenon.鈥� I will remain grateful for translators everywhere who are able to bring us such excellent stories from around the globe. Stories that have left such an impact their author now can be celebrated as a Nobel Prize recipient.
This powerful, unsettling, often Kafkaesque, and societally damning tale makes for an excellent read and shocking reminder of the oppressions women face the world over. Han Kang takes aim at patriarchy and subjugation of women and offers a loud voice in protest to make room for self-agency and bodily autonomy. The Vegetarian is fascinating and fierce and a gift to us all from this Nobel Prize winning author.
4.5/5
鈥�Life is such a strange thing, she thinks, once she has stopped laughing. even after certain things have happened to them, no matter how awful the experience, people still go on eating and drinking, going to the toilet and washing themselves鈥攍iving, in other words. and sometimes they even laugh out loud. and they probably have these same thoughts, too, and when they do it must make them cheerlessly recall all the sadness they'd briefly managed to forget.鈥�
鈥�It鈥檚 your body, you can treat it however you please. The only area where you鈥檙e free to do just as you like. And even that doesn鈥檛 turn out how you wanted.鈥�
Originally published in South Korea as three novellas, The Vegetarians three sections, each from the voice of a different character, stitches the perspectives of family in orbit around the story of Yeong-hye. We begin with her husband, Mr. Cheong, who enjoyed her being 鈥�completely unremarkable in every way,鈥� and because 鈥�it was rare for her to demand anything of me鈥� making her suited to be the quiet, submissive wife he desires. Her choosing to refrain from eating meat is an annoyance to him, but his real frustration is her desire to attain bodily autonomy as he believes 鈥�it was nothing but sheer obstinacy for a wife to go against her husband's wishes.鈥� We move to her brother-in-law as he uses his art to seduce her but, like Mr. Cheong, becomes angry when her actions are less in submission to his sexual hunger but instead enacted as a way to perform her body in a way she desires. Finally we have her sister who is haunted by Yeong-hye鈥檚 refusal to eat but beings to understand it as an act of resistance.
Kang orchestrates these characters in a sort of destructive dance where we find them rather inscrutable to one another. Or often to themselves.There is a certain sorrow to discover those closest elude decoding or have interior lives we cannot decode, such as In-hye鈥檚 revelations after divorcing her husband:
鈥�Had she ever really understood her husband鈥檚 true nature, bound up as it was with that seemingly impenetrable silence? She鈥檇 thought, at one time, that it might be revealed in his work鈥espite her best efforts, though, his works proved incomprehensible to her. Nothing was revealed.鈥�
The incomprehensibility becomes a clever theme on how our best efforts to understand each other often amounts to placing the personality of others into a box of faulty assumptions and then becoming upset when they act off script of our presumptions. It shines a spotlight on the assumption of control one might impose upon others, a control that becomes harshly oppressive when it is enabled by misogynistic gender roles and feels threatened by any resistance to it.
Which is what Kang executes so brilliantly here by denying Yeong-hye a voice similarly to how it has been suppressed by those around her and she must have her own thoughts decentered from her own story to instead have it told through the flawed assumptions of others who can鈥檛 truly comprehend her, or, such as the men narrating the first two sections, could never begin to understand what it is like to live as a woman denied any sense of self-agency.
鈥�She had never lived. Even as a child, as far back as she could remember, she had done nothing but endure.鈥�
Yeong-hye, 鈥�a woman of few words,鈥� represents the push and pull between the desire for an authentic, autonomous self and the socially imposed role of a subordinate, familial self. Haunted by horrific dreams of meat and violence, she decides to be a vegetarian as a refusal to be a part of the violence all around. In this way she views plant life as a sort of innocence and her draw to the brother-in-law is only mistaken as sexual when in actuality she enjoys the flowers he paints on her naked body as symbolic of becoming innocence or, better yet, being able to choose to be painted as a symbol. But her actions are met with the consequences of societal disdain, reflected in her husband's anger and the family attempting to force her to eat meat.
鈥�The very idea that there should be this other side to her, one where she selfishly did as she pleased, was astonishing. Who would have thought she could be so unreasonable.鈥�
The idea that she could have a sense of agency is outright offensive to those around her. 鈥�Look at yourself, now! Stop eating meat, and the world will devour you whole.鈥� Even in her attempts to not eat entirely, she is held into a hospital bed with a feeding tube shoved into her nose. The message is clear: you cannot have autonomy. The novel steers us through episodes of social enforcement of norms, with Kang emphasizing the violence society tolerates in order to uphold its narrow values.
鈥� In-hye stares fiercely at the trees. As if waiting for an answer. As if protesting against something.鈥�
碍补苍驳鈥檚 The Vegetarian is situated in a South Korean society that has grappled with issues glaring issues of oppression against women, one that has only in the years since the novel was first published in 2007. Kang takes aim at in South Korea such as with South Korean being amongst the despite a generally low homicide rate, gender inequality problems such as having , and until 2013 marital rape was (such as is seen in the novel). While Yeong-hye鈥檚 actions are seen as outrageous to others, Kang depicts her and her role in life in such a way that one can certainly see that her refusal to submit 鈥�as if boundaries and limitations didn鈥檛 mean anything for her鈥� may be the only reasonable actions in the story.
鈥� She was no longer able to cope with all that her sister reminded her of. She鈥檇 been unable to forgive her for soaring alone over a boundary she herself could never bring herself to cross, unable to forgive that magnificent irresponsibility that had enabled Yeong-hye to shuck off social constraints and leave her behind, still a prisoner. And before Yeong-hye had broken those bars, she鈥檇 never even known they were there.鈥�
While the novel may have raised controversy with its subject matter, Deborah Smith鈥檚 translation into English raised more controversy. Soon after winning the Booker International, Smith鈥檚 English translation began to receive harsh criticism in Korean literary communities and presses, stirring a bit of with one critic stating the book was 鈥�so different that it was more reasonable to speak of Smith鈥檚 work as an adaptation, not a translation. 鈥� Smith has defended her artistic choices and while she admits 鈥�there's plenty to criticize in my translation,鈥� she stands by it and says her aim was to capture the spirit over one-to-one translation. 鈥�Translators feel a great responsibility to the original text,鈥� she explained in the press, 鈥�I would only permit myself an infidelity for the sake of a greater fidelity.鈥� Readers can decide for themselves and, personally, I鈥檓 a huge fan of translated works because it allows for a greater global community around literature that I鈥攁nd many others鈥攃ouldn鈥檛 read otherwise. In , Deborah Smith voiced concerns that the criticisms of her work and 碍补苍驳鈥檚 original seemed to be a method of distracting from its message:
鈥�It鈥檚 not difficult to see why a book that exposes this pervasive structural violence might have been received differently by the (mostly older male) literary establishment than by the many Korean women who didn鈥檛 consider it 鈥渆xtreme and bizarre鈥� at all. Perhaps the overwhelming focus on The Vegetarian鈥檚 aesthetics is a way of avoiding talking about its politics?鈥�
Personally, I quite enjoyed the read though I have no way to know accuracy, and Han Kang has defended Smith鈥檚 choices and has continued to have her works translated by Smith. 鈥�What makes me worry,鈥� Smith expresses, 鈥�is when the desire to prove a particular argument about a translation encourages a misleading view of the original 鈥� in this case, overlooking the poetry I and many others see in Han's writing.鈥� There is indeed a beautiful poetry here, even in all the darkness and violence of the text. 鈥�Translating from Korean into English involves moving from a language more accommodating of ambiguity, repetition, and plain prose, to one that favors precision, concision, and lyricism,鈥� she continues, 鈥�this is simultaneously a gross generalization and an observable phenomenon.鈥� I will remain grateful for translators everywhere who are able to bring us such excellent stories from around the globe. Stories that have left such an impact their author now can be celebrated as a Nobel Prize recipient.
This powerful, unsettling, often Kafkaesque, and societally damning tale makes for an excellent read and shocking reminder of the oppressions women face the world over. Han Kang takes aim at patriarchy and subjugation of women and offers a loud voice in protest to make room for self-agency and bodily autonomy. The Vegetarian is fascinating and fierce and a gift to us all from this Nobel Prize winning author.
4.5/5
鈥�Life is such a strange thing, she thinks, once she has stopped laughing. even after certain things have happened to them, no matter how awful the experience, people still go on eating and drinking, going to the toilet and washing themselves鈥攍iving, in other words. and sometimes they even laugh out loud. and they probably have these same thoughts, too, and when they do it must make them cheerlessly recall all the sadness they'd briefly managed to forget.鈥�
October 10, 2024
Update 10.10.24 Now deserved winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature.
鈥淪he was no longer able to cope with all that her sister reminded her of. She'd been unable to forgive her for soaring alone over a boundary she herself could never bring herself to cross, unable to forgive that magnificent irresponsibility that had enabled Yeong-hye to shuck off social constraints and leave her behind, still a prisoner. And before Yeong-hye had broken those bars, she'd never even known they were there.鈥�
For a small book it took me a lot of time to finish. The reason is that I wanted to absorb every word while, in the same time, I had to stop periodically because the emotional loading that my heart accumulated became too much.
Korean people are close to my heart as I have been there many times. I believe I understand them more with each visit. The experiences I had there made me feel deeply about this novel. It is tough and not always pleasant to be Korean, the traditions and the society puts pressure on each individual, especially on women, to comply and be responsible.
During the conversation I had with various Koreans, I understood there still is the expectation that the woman should follow the men鈥檚 orders and to put the well-being of the family above hers, a theme that was present in this novel
I read reviews that the book is not realistic鈥� it is wrong. It is very realistic and I can see it happen, including the craze with the vegetarianism.
鈥淭he feeling that she had never really lived in this world caught her by surprise. It was a fact. She had never lived. Even as a child, as far back as she could remember, she had done nothing but endure. She had believed in her own inherent goodness, her humanity, and lived accordingly, never causing anyone harm. Her devotion to doing things the right way had been unflagging, all her successes had depended on it, and she would have gone on like that indefinitely. She didn't understand why, but faced with those decaying buildings and straggling grasses, she was nothing but a child who had never lived.鈥�
***
What a better moment to read this than in Seoul while eating lots of Korean meat.
February 12, 2020
鈥淭hough the ostensible reason for her not wanting Yeong-hye to be discharged, the reason that she gave the doctor, was this worry about a possible relapse, now she was able to admit to herself what had really been going on. She was no longer able to cope with all that her sister reminded her of. She鈥檇 been unable to forgive her for soaring alone over a boundary she herself could never bring herself to cross, unable to forgive that magnificent irresponsibility that had enabled Yeong-hye to shuck off social constraints and leave her behind, still a prisoner. And before Yeong-hye had broken those bars, she鈥檇 never even known they were there鈥︹€�
Wow, what can I say about this one except 鈥渨ow?鈥�
The Vegetarian by Han Kang was everything that we love about Korean and Japanese literature and art鈥攁nd that鈥檚 exactly what this work was: art. Here you will find what we have come to know, to love and to expect from authors in this genre who write in this vein: the vibrancy, the subtle magical realism, the commanding usage of words and the elusive, sinister nature that is unique to these works鈥攁ll embedded within an established culture of history and mores that has survived and developed for millennia longer than most others.
The Vegetarian read with a delicious ominousness that was as subtle as a shadow, like a breath at your neck. It was that subtly that made the read so taunt and disquieting, and there was a strange, magical realism to it that almost read like Haruki Murakami鈥檚 1Q84 (no shock there, as they both seem to have been influenced by Kafka). As a work of short literary form (it鈥檚 under 200 pages), it was unusual, among other reasons, in that it was told from three different perspectives with almost no perspective from the novel鈥檚 subject, Yeong-hye. We see how her vegetarianism, which later leads into a kind of manic catatonia, affects first her callous and at times sexually abusive husband, then her brother-in-law who becomes completely enthralled with her sexually because of her Mongolian mark, and her sister who is the last one standing when Yeong-hye鈥檚 psyche begins to peel away.
In addition to the serious topics that The Vegetarian brushed up against: the effect of cultural mores on women, body image, conformism, familial ties and abuse, and, of course, mental illness that ultimately culminated in a way that I could never reveal without spoiling it for you鈥攖his was also a tale of family dysfunction. It was a tale of familial ties that were severed painfully, of violent confrontations and realizations, of physical and emotional starvation, and a parable about the woman, the vegetarian, at the center of it all.
The Vegetarian was sensual, and it meandered toward its climax in a way that was both unsettling and prophetic. It was allegory elevated to the highest level of art, raised to the level of surrealism. Honestly, this may or may not work for everyone. You have to suspend your past experiences with reading (outside of this genre) in order to enjoy this one. That much is, honestly, a must. The change in tenses and POVs worked well. And even this technique, this simple process of sentence writing that we learn in grade school, was elevated: the tenses of sentences shifted noticeably, particularly the closer that it came to d茅nouement, a jolting but brilliant allusion to this descent into mental illness and personal violence, which added to the mystical element of this novel.
Han Kang produced a work, her first to be seen here in the U.S., that was so unhinged, so mystifying, that at times it would slither from your grasp. I had to sit and reflect on several of the passages for a few minutes鈥攏ot because they were ill-written, but because they were both profound and often just outside of my immediate mental grasp, and that was a wonderful thing. It was an effect that I look for in modern-day writing鈥攖hat disquietingly ungraspable moment.
Yeong-hye鈥檚 voice, which came to her while she was suspended in that halfway state between sleep and wakefulness, was low and warm at first, then innocent like that of a young child, but the last part was mangled, a distorted animal sound. Her eyes snapped open in fright, and she was stung by a waking hatred the likes of which she鈥檇 never felt before, before being thrown back into sleep. This time she was standing in from of the bathroom mirror. In the reflection, blood was trickling from her left eye. She quickly reached up to wipe the blood away, but somehow her reflection in the mirror didn鈥檛 move an inch, only stood there, blood running from a staring eye.
The Vegetarian was unconventional. It broke away from the molds that we find ourselves encumbered in with typical fiction. Here you will not find the typical 鈥渞ising action, climax, falling action鈥� formula that we鈥檝e become so accustomed to, that we鈥檝e grown to expect and to lean into, though we know how it鈥檒l all end in the end. There may or may not have been some issues with translation, but if there were, it wasn't overtly noticeable to me. I found the translation obstacles, where applicable, to be mild at worst. I would recommend this read to anyone who's ready to move away from the conventional, and to anyone already familiar or ready to become familiar with this genre of writing. Honestly, this read left me a little speechless, so you鈥檒l have to excuse the less-than-customary word count here. Definitely, take that as a compliment in the highest sense. 5 stars.
FOLLOW ME HERE:
欧宝娱乐 | | | |
Wow, what can I say about this one except 鈥渨ow?鈥�
The Vegetarian by Han Kang was everything that we love about Korean and Japanese literature and art鈥攁nd that鈥檚 exactly what this work was: art. Here you will find what we have come to know, to love and to expect from authors in this genre who write in this vein: the vibrancy, the subtle magical realism, the commanding usage of words and the elusive, sinister nature that is unique to these works鈥攁ll embedded within an established culture of history and mores that has survived and developed for millennia longer than most others.
The Vegetarian read with a delicious ominousness that was as subtle as a shadow, like a breath at your neck. It was that subtly that made the read so taunt and disquieting, and there was a strange, magical realism to it that almost read like Haruki Murakami鈥檚 1Q84 (no shock there, as they both seem to have been influenced by Kafka). As a work of short literary form (it鈥檚 under 200 pages), it was unusual, among other reasons, in that it was told from three different perspectives with almost no perspective from the novel鈥檚 subject, Yeong-hye. We see how her vegetarianism, which later leads into a kind of manic catatonia, affects first her callous and at times sexually abusive husband, then her brother-in-law who becomes completely enthralled with her sexually because of her Mongolian mark, and her sister who is the last one standing when Yeong-hye鈥檚 psyche begins to peel away.
In addition to the serious topics that The Vegetarian brushed up against: the effect of cultural mores on women, body image, conformism, familial ties and abuse, and, of course, mental illness that ultimately culminated in a way that I could never reveal without spoiling it for you鈥攖his was also a tale of family dysfunction. It was a tale of familial ties that were severed painfully, of violent confrontations and realizations, of physical and emotional starvation, and a parable about the woman, the vegetarian, at the center of it all.
The Vegetarian was sensual, and it meandered toward its climax in a way that was both unsettling and prophetic. It was allegory elevated to the highest level of art, raised to the level of surrealism. Honestly, this may or may not work for everyone. You have to suspend your past experiences with reading (outside of this genre) in order to enjoy this one. That much is, honestly, a must. The change in tenses and POVs worked well. And even this technique, this simple process of sentence writing that we learn in grade school, was elevated: the tenses of sentences shifted noticeably, particularly the closer that it came to d茅nouement, a jolting but brilliant allusion to this descent into mental illness and personal violence, which added to the mystical element of this novel.
Han Kang produced a work, her first to be seen here in the U.S., that was so unhinged, so mystifying, that at times it would slither from your grasp. I had to sit and reflect on several of the passages for a few minutes鈥攏ot because they were ill-written, but because they were both profound and often just outside of my immediate mental grasp, and that was a wonderful thing. It was an effect that I look for in modern-day writing鈥攖hat disquietingly ungraspable moment.
Yeong-hye鈥檚 voice, which came to her while she was suspended in that halfway state between sleep and wakefulness, was low and warm at first, then innocent like that of a young child, but the last part was mangled, a distorted animal sound. Her eyes snapped open in fright, and she was stung by a waking hatred the likes of which she鈥檇 never felt before, before being thrown back into sleep. This time she was standing in from of the bathroom mirror. In the reflection, blood was trickling from her left eye. She quickly reached up to wipe the blood away, but somehow her reflection in the mirror didn鈥檛 move an inch, only stood there, blood running from a staring eye.
The Vegetarian was unconventional. It broke away from the molds that we find ourselves encumbered in with typical fiction. Here you will not find the typical 鈥渞ising action, climax, falling action鈥� formula that we鈥檝e become so accustomed to, that we鈥檝e grown to expect and to lean into, though we know how it鈥檒l all end in the end. There may or may not have been some issues with translation, but if there were, it wasn't overtly noticeable to me. I found the translation obstacles, where applicable, to be mild at worst. I would recommend this read to anyone who's ready to move away from the conventional, and to anyone already familiar or ready to become familiar with this genre of writing. Honestly, this read left me a little speechless, so you鈥檒l have to excuse the less-than-customary word count here. Definitely, take that as a compliment in the highest sense. 5 stars.
FOLLOW ME HERE:
欧宝娱乐 | | | |
October 27, 2019
Update: Han Kang's book, "The Vegetarian", is the Man Booker international winner
Wow...****
****ZERO spoilers
I'm going to share my experience....and hope to find other readers to discuss this book with later.
I couldn't 'not' read this in anything less than one sitting.
If I keep thinking about this book, not only will I have a knot in my stomach as I do now...but I just might find myself crying my eyes out!
I haven't felt so many intense emotions from a book in a long time.
Zillions of thoughts flooded my mind from when our daughter was anorexic. At age 9, Katy came home from school one day and said, "I no longer eat meat".... which was just the beginning of her food eliminations.
This book goes beyond anything I've ever read on the topic of eating disorders...(there's more....exploring a range of themes)
The writing is MASTERFUL...with many gorgeous passages.
I'm not sure this book is for everyone....but if you think you can handle minimal
disturbing abuse and horror images...there is enough 'meat' (pun), in this book to keep the cerebral brain doing somersaults for months....leaving behind many questions to think about.
*......A tidbit which might be useful information for those who read this.
"A Mongolian mark is a bluish birthmark, very common among infants of color though uncommon among Caucasian infants, that typically disappears by the time a child is around five". Having this information would have 'helped' me feel less confused when I first started reading part II .
The Vegetarian", is a novel of three-linked novellas. POWERFUL!!
Thank You Crown Publishing, Netgalley, and Han Kang....( I think *Kang* is kinda a genius)
Wow...****
****ZERO spoilers
I'm going to share my experience....and hope to find other readers to discuss this book with later.
I couldn't 'not' read this in anything less than one sitting.
If I keep thinking about this book, not only will I have a knot in my stomach as I do now...but I just might find myself crying my eyes out!
I haven't felt so many intense emotions from a book in a long time.
Zillions of thoughts flooded my mind from when our daughter was anorexic. At age 9, Katy came home from school one day and said, "I no longer eat meat".... which was just the beginning of her food eliminations.
This book goes beyond anything I've ever read on the topic of eating disorders...(there's more....exploring a range of themes)
The writing is MASTERFUL...with many gorgeous passages.
I'm not sure this book is for everyone....but if you think you can handle minimal
disturbing abuse and horror images...there is enough 'meat' (pun), in this book to keep the cerebral brain doing somersaults for months....leaving behind many questions to think about.
*......A tidbit which might be useful information for those who read this.
"A Mongolian mark is a bluish birthmark, very common among infants of color though uncommon among Caucasian infants, that typically disappears by the time a child is around five". Having this information would have 'helped' me feel less confused when I first started reading part II .
The Vegetarian", is a novel of three-linked novellas. POWERFUL!!
Thank You Crown Publishing, Netgalley, and Han Kang....( I think *Kang* is kinda a genius)
May 19, 2017
The Vegetarian is a short, sad, and simple read that still managed to leave an impression on me. It does its job of getting readers to reflect on culture and our control of women鈥檚 bodies. However, it doesn鈥檛 provide anything new to the theme - I think having the story in the POV of Yeong-Hye rather than the other unlikable characters would have helped add more nuance. I don鈥檛 particularly care for the gross men, and we have plenty of stories that are about the male gaze already. It would have been nice to truly see the in-depth struggle of the woman herself.
October 10, 2024
Nobel laureate. On 10 October 2024, Han Kang was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for her 鈥渋ntense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life鈥�.
How to review this cold, voyeuristic, sexy, ugly, beautiful, disturbing novella?
The single story is told in three sections, from three points of view - in three different genres: from a domestic drama of a marriage suddenly under strain, through erotica, to madness and borderline magical-realism. But we never hear from the subject herself.
At the end鈥� I felt adrift, rather than rooted. Intrigued, moved, and pleasantly bemused.
Triggers: This book is probably unusable for those in the depths of eating disorders, body dysmorphia, or suicidal ideation. It鈥檚 not really about vegetarianism.
1. The Vegetarian
It starts simply: Yeong-hye is a young South Korean woman. She has been married for a few years to Mr Cheong, who narrates the first part. He is very aware of her ordinariness; it鈥檚 part of what made her suitable.
鈥�If there wasn鈥檛 any special attraction, nor did any particular drawbacks present themselves, and therefore there was no reason for the two of us not to get married.鈥�
When Yeong-hye has her first vivid and disturbing dream about butchered animals, she becomes a vegetarian.
Image: Abattoir (.)
鈥�I ate too much meat. The lives of the animals I ate have all lodged there.鈥� [on her chest]
This change is shocking and disgusting to Mr Cheong, shameful in front of his colleagues, and anathema to her traditional family. Conformity is required, individualism reviled.
The nearest Mr Cheong comes to demonstrating any passion is when he describes, in almost fetishistic terms, how delicious his wife's meat-based cooking used to be. Yeong-hye may be becoming anorexic or delusional, but he shows neither sympathy nor curiosity - just anger and resentment at the effect on him.
2. Mongolian Mark
(A is a type of grey birth mark at the base of the spine, that usually disappears by age 5 and almost always before puberty.)
The middle section opens at a dance show with an ox-blood coloured curtain.
鈥�The carnality, the pure sensuality of this image, was nothing short of monstrous.鈥�
It focuses on the unnamed husband of Yeong-hye鈥檚 sister. He鈥檚 an unsuccessful video artist, emasculated by his wife鈥檚 success: 鈥�their only shared business was their child鈥�.
His dramatic inspiration for a new artwork is personal, passionate, and transgressive. The story transmogrifies into artistic erotica, with undertones of paedophilic desires.
Image: 鈥淢agnolia鈥�, by Cecilia Paredes (.)
鈥�The monochrome world, entirely devoid of the colours he was now experiencing, had had a calmness that was beautiful in its way鈥� All of his energy was taken up in trying to cope with the excitement, the heightened awareness of living in the present moment.鈥�
3. Flaming Trees
鈥�She had merely absorbed all her suffering inside her.鈥�
The final section, narrated by In-hye (Yeong-hye鈥檚 older sister), mostly in the present tense, is a darker exploration of change, humanity, family ties, duty, and madness.
鈥�Soon now, words and thoughts will disappear.鈥�
Is she like Kafka's The Hunger Artist (see my review HERE) or more like the girl in one of the stories in Daisy Johnson's Fen (see my review HERE)?
Image: Woman doing handstand in a forest. (.)
Men versus sisters
鈥�Hand, foot, tongue, gaze, all weapons from which nothing is safe.鈥�
This felt like a book written by a man until part way into the middle section. I think that鈥檚 because it was told by/from male points of view, one of them judgemental, controlling, and cold, and both objectifying women.
鈥�It was a body that made one want to rest one鈥檚 gaze quietly upon it.鈥�
The final section by In-hye was different. Although the story is ostensibly about Yeong-hye, the relationship between the sisters is at the heart of it all.
鈥� One is serene, self-contained, and possibly brave:
鈥�She radiated energy, like a tree that grows in the wilderness, denuded and solitary.鈥�
鈥� The other is successful, dutiful, conventional:
鈥�The kind of woman whose goodness is oppressive鈥�.
Both have deep inner strength, and they are tied by blood and by the shared suffix of their names (whereas the men are Mr Cheong and... who knows what In-hye's husband is called?).
鈥� How much does one owe family - and what happens when there are conflicting needs?
鈥� What鈥檚 the toll of guilt, betrayal, and jealousy?
鈥� To what extent can one break free of genes and expectations, and at what cost?
Imagery
The dreams, described in short italic passages, involve blood, flesh, and eyes.
Blood and eyes recur throughout.
As do breasts, birds, and trees.
I felt there was more to these symbols than the obvious, but I'm not sure what.
Quotes
鈥� 鈥淭he kiss was a palimpsest of memories.鈥�
鈥� 鈥淒reams overlaid with dreams, a palimpsest of horror.鈥�
鈥� 鈥淲ith my round breasts, I鈥檓 okay鈥� So why do they keep on shrinking?... Why are my edges all sharpening - what am I going to gouge?鈥�
鈥� 鈥淚t was impossible to tell whether or not he was pleased to see his father.鈥� Of a five-year old. Tragic.
鈥� 鈥淎s if there were a wire linking her tongue with his body, every time that little pink tongue darted out [licking shaved ice] he found himself flinching as though from an electric shock.鈥�
鈥� 鈥淭his was the body of a beautiful young woman鈥� yet it was a body from which all the desire had been eliminated鈥�. What she had renounced was the very life that her body represented. The sunlight that came splintering through the wide window鈥� and the beauty of that body鈥� was also ceaselessly splintering.鈥�
鈥� 鈥淗er calm acceptance鈥� made her seem to him something sacred. Whether human, animal or plant, she could not be called a 鈥榩erson鈥�.鈥�
鈥� 鈥淭he brush was cold, and the sensation was ticklish yet numbing, a persistent, effectual caress.鈥�
鈥� 鈥淪he鈥檇 been unable to forgive her for soaring alone over a boundary she herself could never bring herself to cross,鈥�
鈥� 鈥淪he had never lived鈥� she had done nothing but endure鈥� Her life was no more than a ghostly pageant of exhausted endurance, no more real than a television drama.鈥�
鈥� 鈥淗er voice had no weight鈥� neither gloomy nor absent-minded鈥� the quiet tone of someone who didn鈥檛 belong anywhere, someone who had passed into a border area between states of being.鈥�
Image: 鈥淗er bare feet kissing the tiles.鈥� (.)
Notes about the original Korean novella
The three parts were originally published separately. I think a slightly firmer delineation of the parts is probably helpful. The disconcerting and dramatic change of viewpoint and genre is part of the appeal, and what makes this so unusual.
There's also controversy about the English translation, as highlighted in Nocturnalux 's comment below, and discussed in knowledgeable detail, with links to other articles, in the comments of Paul's review.
Is the English version I read barely recognisable version of the original, or are the criticisms themselves rooted in racist stereotypes?
Another good article, courtesy of Chinook's review is . It picks out specific examples of clearcut "mistakes". But it concludes:
"And ultimately, Smith carried out perhaps the most important task of all: She successfully introduced a work of literature to people who might otherwise never have had a chance to read it. In that regard, Smith was faithful to the end."
I'm glad I was able to read it.
How to review this cold, voyeuristic, sexy, ugly, beautiful, disturbing novella?
The single story is told in three sections, from three points of view - in three different genres: from a domestic drama of a marriage suddenly under strain, through erotica, to madness and borderline magical-realism. But we never hear from the subject herself.
At the end鈥� I felt adrift, rather than rooted. Intrigued, moved, and pleasantly bemused.
Triggers: This book is probably unusable for those in the depths of eating disorders, body dysmorphia, or suicidal ideation. It鈥檚 not really about vegetarianism.
1. The Vegetarian
It starts simply: Yeong-hye is a young South Korean woman. She has been married for a few years to Mr Cheong, who narrates the first part. He is very aware of her ordinariness; it鈥檚 part of what made her suitable.
鈥�If there wasn鈥檛 any special attraction, nor did any particular drawbacks present themselves, and therefore there was no reason for the two of us not to get married.鈥�
When Yeong-hye has her first vivid and disturbing dream about butchered animals, she becomes a vegetarian.
Image: Abattoir (.)
鈥�I ate too much meat. The lives of the animals I ate have all lodged there.鈥� [on her chest]
This change is shocking and disgusting to Mr Cheong, shameful in front of his colleagues, and anathema to her traditional family. Conformity is required, individualism reviled.
The nearest Mr Cheong comes to demonstrating any passion is when he describes, in almost fetishistic terms, how delicious his wife's meat-based cooking used to be. Yeong-hye may be becoming anorexic or delusional, but he shows neither sympathy nor curiosity - just anger and resentment at the effect on him.
2. Mongolian Mark
(A is a type of grey birth mark at the base of the spine, that usually disappears by age 5 and almost always before puberty.)
The middle section opens at a dance show with an ox-blood coloured curtain.
鈥�The carnality, the pure sensuality of this image, was nothing short of monstrous.鈥�
It focuses on the unnamed husband of Yeong-hye鈥檚 sister. He鈥檚 an unsuccessful video artist, emasculated by his wife鈥檚 success: 鈥�their only shared business was their child鈥�.
His dramatic inspiration for a new artwork is personal, passionate, and transgressive. The story transmogrifies into artistic erotica, with undertones of paedophilic desires.
Image: 鈥淢agnolia鈥�, by Cecilia Paredes (.)
鈥�The monochrome world, entirely devoid of the colours he was now experiencing, had had a calmness that was beautiful in its way鈥� All of his energy was taken up in trying to cope with the excitement, the heightened awareness of living in the present moment.鈥�
3. Flaming Trees
鈥�She had merely absorbed all her suffering inside her.鈥�
The final section, narrated by In-hye (Yeong-hye鈥檚 older sister), mostly in the present tense, is a darker exploration of change, humanity, family ties, duty, and madness.
鈥�Soon now, words and thoughts will disappear.鈥�
Is she like Kafka's The Hunger Artist (see my review HERE) or more like the girl in one of the stories in Daisy Johnson's Fen (see my review HERE)?
Image: Woman doing handstand in a forest. (.)
Men versus sisters
鈥�Hand, foot, tongue, gaze, all weapons from which nothing is safe.鈥�
This felt like a book written by a man until part way into the middle section. I think that鈥檚 because it was told by/from male points of view, one of them judgemental, controlling, and cold, and both objectifying women.
鈥�It was a body that made one want to rest one鈥檚 gaze quietly upon it.鈥�
The final section by In-hye was different. Although the story is ostensibly about Yeong-hye, the relationship between the sisters is at the heart of it all.
鈥� One is serene, self-contained, and possibly brave:
鈥�She radiated energy, like a tree that grows in the wilderness, denuded and solitary.鈥�
鈥� The other is successful, dutiful, conventional:
鈥�The kind of woman whose goodness is oppressive鈥�.
Both have deep inner strength, and they are tied by blood and by the shared suffix of their names (whereas the men are Mr Cheong and... who knows what In-hye's husband is called?).
鈥� How much does one owe family - and what happens when there are conflicting needs?
鈥� What鈥檚 the toll of guilt, betrayal, and jealousy?
鈥� To what extent can one break free of genes and expectations, and at what cost?
Imagery
The dreams, described in short italic passages, involve blood, flesh, and eyes.
Blood and eyes recur throughout.
As do breasts, birds, and trees.
I felt there was more to these symbols than the obvious, but I'm not sure what.
Quotes
鈥� 鈥淭he kiss was a palimpsest of memories.鈥�
鈥� 鈥淒reams overlaid with dreams, a palimpsest of horror.鈥�
鈥� 鈥淲ith my round breasts, I鈥檓 okay鈥� So why do they keep on shrinking?... Why are my edges all sharpening - what am I going to gouge?鈥�
鈥� 鈥淚t was impossible to tell whether or not he was pleased to see his father.鈥� Of a five-year old. Tragic.
鈥� 鈥淎s if there were a wire linking her tongue with his body, every time that little pink tongue darted out [licking shaved ice] he found himself flinching as though from an electric shock.鈥�
鈥� 鈥淭his was the body of a beautiful young woman鈥� yet it was a body from which all the desire had been eliminated鈥�. What she had renounced was the very life that her body represented. The sunlight that came splintering through the wide window鈥� and the beauty of that body鈥� was also ceaselessly splintering.鈥�
鈥� 鈥淗er calm acceptance鈥� made her seem to him something sacred. Whether human, animal or plant, she could not be called a 鈥榩erson鈥�.鈥�
鈥� 鈥淭he brush was cold, and the sensation was ticklish yet numbing, a persistent, effectual caress.鈥�
鈥� 鈥淪he鈥檇 been unable to forgive her for soaring alone over a boundary she herself could never bring herself to cross,鈥�
鈥� 鈥淪he had never lived鈥� she had done nothing but endure鈥� Her life was no more than a ghostly pageant of exhausted endurance, no more real than a television drama.鈥�
鈥� 鈥淗er voice had no weight鈥� neither gloomy nor absent-minded鈥� the quiet tone of someone who didn鈥檛 belong anywhere, someone who had passed into a border area between states of being.鈥�
Image: 鈥淗er bare feet kissing the tiles.鈥� (.)
Notes about the original Korean novella
The three parts were originally published separately. I think a slightly firmer delineation of the parts is probably helpful. The disconcerting and dramatic change of viewpoint and genre is part of the appeal, and what makes this so unusual.
There's also controversy about the English translation, as highlighted in Nocturnalux 's comment below, and discussed in knowledgeable detail, with links to other articles, in the comments of Paul's review.
Is the English version I read barely recognisable version of the original, or are the criticisms themselves rooted in racist stereotypes?
Another good article, courtesy of Chinook's review is . It picks out specific examples of clearcut "mistakes". But it concludes:
"And ultimately, Smith carried out perhaps the most important task of all: She successfully introduced a work of literature to people who might otherwise never have had a chance to read it. In that regard, Smith was faithful to the end."
I'm glad I was able to read it.
February 10, 2025
乇賵丕賷丞 賲噩賳賵賳丞 ..乇賵丕賷丞 賲卮 毓丕丿賷丞.. 亘爻 廿賵毓賷 鬲賮鬲賰乇 廿賳賰 丨鬲賯乇兀 乇賵丕賷丞 毓賳 賵丕丨丿丞 賯乇乇鬲 鬲亘賯賷 賳亘丕鬲賷丞..
丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 毓賳 爻鬲 賲鬲噩賵夭丞 乇噩賱 卮丕賷賮賴丕 爻賱亘賷丞.. 卮丕賷賮賴丕 毓丕丿賷丞 ..毓丕賵夭賴丕 鬲禺丿賲賴 賵亘爻..賰丕賳 亘賷賯賵賱 毓賱賷賴丕
"賰丕賳鬲 丨賯丕賸 兀賰孬乇 兀賲乇兀丞 毓丕丿賷丞 賮賷 丕賱毓丕賱賲!"
賵夭賷 賲丕 賰丕賳 噩賵夭賴丕 賲卮 卮丕賷賮賴丕 賵賱丕 丨丕爻爻 亘賷賴丕 兀亘賵賴丕 賰賲丕賳 賰丕賳 亘賷毓丕賲賱賴丕 賲毓丕賲賱丞 賯丕爻賷丞 噩丿丕賸 賮賷 胤賮賵賱鬲賴丕 賵賰丕賳鬲 賴賷 丿丕賷賲丕賸 賲爻鬲爻賱賲丞 賵爻丕賰鬲丞..
"賰賳鬲 賲噩亘乇丞 毓賱賷 丕賱氐賲鬲 禺賱賮 亘丕亘 亘賱丕 賲賯亘囟.."
丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賮賰乇鬲賳賷 亘賯氐丞 賳毓丕爻 賱賲賵乇丕賰丕賲賷..丕賱爻鬲 丕賱賱賷 賲賳 噩賵丕賴丕 賳丕賯氐賴丕 丨丕噩丕鬲 賰鬲賷賷乇 賮賲亘賯賷鬲卮 鬲賳丕賲 兀賲丕 賴賳丕 賮賷 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 毓亘乇鬲 毓賳 乇賮囟賴丕 賱丨賷丕鬲賴丕 亘丕賱鬲賵賯賮 毓賳 兀賰賱 丕賱賱丨賵賲..
賵夭賷 賲丕 睾乇賷睾賵乇 兀賴賱賴 乇賮囟賵賴 賮賷 乇賵丕賷丞 丕賱鬲丨賵賱 賱賰丕賮賰丕 賴賳丕 賰賲丕賳 兀賴賱賴丕 毓丕賲賱賵賴丕 亘賲賳鬲賴賷 丕賱賯爻賵丞 賵兀賴賲賱賵賴丕 鬲賲丕賲丕 賱賲丕 鬲毓亘鬲 賱賲噩乇丿 廿賳賴丕 兀禺匕鬲 賯乇丕乇 賲禺鬲賱賮 毓賳 丕賱賱賷 賴賲 毓丕賵夭賷賳賴..
"丕賳馗乇賷 廿賱賷 賳賮爻賰 鬲賵賯賮賷 毓賳 兀賰賱 丕賱賱丨賵賲 賵爻賵賮 賷賱鬲賴賲賰 丕賱賳丕爻 賮賷 賴匕丕 丕賱毓丕賱賲!"
丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賲賯爻賲丞 廿賱賷 孬賱丕孬 兀噩夭丕亍 丕賱噩夭亍 丕賱鬲丕賳賷 賮賷賴丕 兀賯賱 賲丕 賷賯丕賱 毓賳賴 兀賳賴 毓亘賯乇賷..廿夭丕賷 鬲胤賱賯 丕賱毓賳丕賳 賱賳賮爻賰 賵 賱賲賵賴亘鬲賰 賵賱賲卮丕毓乇賰 ..丕夭丕賷 鬲鬲丨乇乇 賲賳 賰賱 丕賱賯賷賵丿 賵 鬲毓賲賱 丕賱賱賷 丕賳鬲 毓丕賵夭賴 賵賲卮 '丕賱賱賷 丕賱賲賮乇賵囟 鬲毓賲賱賴'..
乇賵丕賷丞 丨賯賷賯賷 賲噩賳賵賳丞 賵賲禺鬲賱賮丞 毓賳 兀賷 丨丕噩丞 賯乇賷鬲賴丕 賯亘賱 賰丿丞..丕賱鬲乇噩賲丞 賰賲丕賳 賰丕賳鬲 賰賵賷爻丞 噩丿丕賸..
兀賳丕 賲卮 亘賰鬲亘 乇賷冥賷賵賴丕鬲 胤賵賷賱丞 廿賱丕 賲毓 丕賱乇賵丕賷丕鬲 丕賱賲賲賷夭丞 噩丿丕賸 丕賵 丕賱乇賵丕賷丕鬲 丕賱賱賷 亘鬲賱賲爻 賮賷丕 丨丕噩丞 卮禺氐賷丞..
丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賴賳丕 賮賷賴丕 丕賱丕鬲賳賷賳:)
" 賷噩亘 兀賳 兀乇賵賷 噩爻丿賷 賷丕 卮賯賷賯鬲賷 丕賱賰亘乇賷..兀賳丕 賱丕 兀丨鬲丕噩 廿賱賷 賲孬賱 賴匕丕 丕賱胤毓丕賲..兀丨鬲丕噩 廿賱賷 丕賱賲丕亍 賮丨爻亘.."
丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 毓賳 爻鬲 賲鬲噩賵夭丞 乇噩賱 卮丕賷賮賴丕 爻賱亘賷丞.. 卮丕賷賮賴丕 毓丕丿賷丞 ..毓丕賵夭賴丕 鬲禺丿賲賴 賵亘爻..賰丕賳 亘賷賯賵賱 毓賱賷賴丕
"賰丕賳鬲 丨賯丕賸 兀賰孬乇 兀賲乇兀丞 毓丕丿賷丞 賮賷 丕賱毓丕賱賲!"
賵夭賷 賲丕 賰丕賳 噩賵夭賴丕 賲卮 卮丕賷賮賴丕 賵賱丕 丨丕爻爻 亘賷賴丕 兀亘賵賴丕 賰賲丕賳 賰丕賳 亘賷毓丕賲賱賴丕 賲毓丕賲賱丞 賯丕爻賷丞 噩丿丕賸 賮賷 胤賮賵賱鬲賴丕 賵賰丕賳鬲 賴賷 丿丕賷賲丕賸 賲爻鬲爻賱賲丞 賵爻丕賰鬲丞..
"賰賳鬲 賲噩亘乇丞 毓賱賷 丕賱氐賲鬲 禺賱賮 亘丕亘 亘賱丕 賲賯亘囟.."
丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賮賰乇鬲賳賷 亘賯氐丞 賳毓丕爻 賱賲賵乇丕賰丕賲賷..丕賱爻鬲 丕賱賱賷 賲賳 噩賵丕賴丕 賳丕賯氐賴丕 丨丕噩丕鬲 賰鬲賷賷乇 賮賲亘賯賷鬲卮 鬲賳丕賲 兀賲丕 賴賳丕 賮賷 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 毓亘乇鬲 毓賳 乇賮囟賴丕 賱丨賷丕鬲賴丕 亘丕賱鬲賵賯賮 毓賳 兀賰賱 丕賱賱丨賵賲..
賵夭賷 賲丕 睾乇賷睾賵乇 兀賴賱賴 乇賮囟賵賴 賮賷 乇賵丕賷丞 丕賱鬲丨賵賱 賱賰丕賮賰丕 賴賳丕 賰賲丕賳 兀賴賱賴丕 毓丕賲賱賵賴丕 亘賲賳鬲賴賷 丕賱賯爻賵丞 賵兀賴賲賱賵賴丕 鬲賲丕賲丕 賱賲丕 鬲毓亘鬲 賱賲噩乇丿 廿賳賴丕 兀禺匕鬲 賯乇丕乇 賲禺鬲賱賮 毓賳 丕賱賱賷 賴賲 毓丕賵夭賷賳賴..
"丕賳馗乇賷 廿賱賷 賳賮爻賰 鬲賵賯賮賷 毓賳 兀賰賱 丕賱賱丨賵賲 賵爻賵賮 賷賱鬲賴賲賰 丕賱賳丕爻 賮賷 賴匕丕 丕賱毓丕賱賲!"
丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賲賯爻賲丞 廿賱賷 孬賱丕孬 兀噩夭丕亍 丕賱噩夭亍 丕賱鬲丕賳賷 賮賷賴丕 兀賯賱 賲丕 賷賯丕賱 毓賳賴 兀賳賴 毓亘賯乇賷..廿夭丕賷 鬲胤賱賯 丕賱毓賳丕賳 賱賳賮爻賰 賵 賱賲賵賴亘鬲賰 賵賱賲卮丕毓乇賰 ..丕夭丕賷 鬲鬲丨乇乇 賲賳 賰賱 丕賱賯賷賵丿 賵 鬲毓賲賱 丕賱賱賷 丕賳鬲 毓丕賵夭賴 賵賲卮 '丕賱賱賷 丕賱賲賮乇賵囟 鬲毓賲賱賴'..
乇賵丕賷丞 丨賯賷賯賷 賲噩賳賵賳丞 賵賲禺鬲賱賮丞 毓賳 兀賷 丨丕噩丞 賯乇賷鬲賴丕 賯亘賱 賰丿丞..丕賱鬲乇噩賲丞 賰賲丕賳 賰丕賳鬲 賰賵賷爻丞 噩丿丕賸..
兀賳丕 賲卮 亘賰鬲亘 乇賷冥賷賵賴丕鬲 胤賵賷賱丞 廿賱丕 賲毓 丕賱乇賵丕賷丕鬲 丕賱賲賲賷夭丞 噩丿丕賸 丕賵 丕賱乇賵丕賷丕鬲 丕賱賱賷 亘鬲賱賲爻 賮賷丕 丨丕噩丞 卮禺氐賷丞..
丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賴賳丕 賮賷賴丕 丕賱丕鬲賳賷賳:)
" 賷噩亘 兀賳 兀乇賵賷 噩爻丿賷 賷丕 卮賯賷賯鬲賷 丕賱賰亘乇賷..兀賳丕 賱丕 兀丨鬲丕噩 廿賱賷 賲孬賱 賴匕丕 丕賱胤毓丕賲..兀丨鬲丕噩 廿賱賷 丕賱賲丕亍 賮丨爻亘.."
July 16, 2016
I gave myself 24 hours to think over this before rating it, but I still don't know... i'm left off very confused... This is a book about characters whose backstories and full character arcs aren't really explored, so it was jarring to read a character-heavy book whose main focus is on a woman that we never even see the perspective of. Maybe i'm missing something, and i'm horrified that I did because everyone else loves this book, but this just read very strangely to me. By the end I understood the characters' motives for doing everything they did but I was never invested into them, which makes me sad because this is a book highly centered around psychological issues and female autonomy and both of those things are usually fascinating to me. If anyone felt the same way I did, what did you think was missing? I'm just not quite sure how to put into words what about this felt not amazing
February 24, 2016
Han Kang's novel, 'The Vegetarian,' tells the story of Yeong-hye. Having recently had a dream that has convinced her to cease eating any meat whatsoever, and finds that such a decision is affect nearly all aspects of her life. Her family is trying to force her to eat meat, the relationships that once surrounded her are falling apart, and everyone is questioning whether she is insane. The thing is, she just might be losing her mind - and all because of a dream.
This book isn't super long. In fact, it reads like a novella, so it's easy to consume and fast paced enough that about the time you feel really into it, it's over. It's not a bad thing though because there is a LOT packed into this little story. Despite being a story that is explicitly about Yeong-hye, it is actually never told directly from her perspective. Instead, we are give about 60 pages a piece from her husband, her brother-in-law, and her sister. The oddest part about this formatting is, unlike many book of this type, the perspectives do not overlap. Some take place at the time of Yeong-hye's decision to become a vegetarian, and others take place years after the fact.
To be totally honest, this book is weird. It might actually be the weirdest book I've ever read. But there's still something beautiful about it. It's an honest look at mental illness and how it affects not only that individual, but also everyone that cares about them. For those who have dealt with abuse, it's not as cut and dry to understand why mental illness affects them. Instead, it's about learning how to cope and manage, but also when to let go of those who hold you back.
As I mentioned before, this book is a roller coaster ride, especially in the beginning. I sat down to read this expecting to read for maybe 20 minutes later but looked at the clock an hour later and realized that I was so involved in the story that I didn't want to stop reading. It's sad, depressing, at times fun, but most of all it's probably the most thought-provoking novel I have ever read.
My rating: I give it 3 stars not because I didn't like it or I don't think you should read it, but because I found the pacing of the book to be distracting. It starts off energetic, fast-paced, and almost manic. During the middle, it takes a turn and reads more as a desperate plea for approval or attention. And in the end, it's detailed, slower, and tired. I don't know whether this was an intentional decision, but for me as a reader it meant that every 60 pages or so I was forced to feel like I was adjusting to a new writing style.
Who should read it?: If you enjoy international novels, this is an excellent choice. I have been told that those who have been deeply affected by the decision to become a vegetarian have loved this story. Or anyone who wants to read something that is so unlike anything else out there, that there is no way they will forget this book.
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This book isn't super long. In fact, it reads like a novella, so it's easy to consume and fast paced enough that about the time you feel really into it, it's over. It's not a bad thing though because there is a LOT packed into this little story. Despite being a story that is explicitly about Yeong-hye, it is actually never told directly from her perspective. Instead, we are give about 60 pages a piece from her husband, her brother-in-law, and her sister. The oddest part about this formatting is, unlike many book of this type, the perspectives do not overlap. Some take place at the time of Yeong-hye's decision to become a vegetarian, and others take place years after the fact.
To be totally honest, this book is weird. It might actually be the weirdest book I've ever read. But there's still something beautiful about it. It's an honest look at mental illness and how it affects not only that individual, but also everyone that cares about them. For those who have dealt with abuse, it's not as cut and dry to understand why mental illness affects them. Instead, it's about learning how to cope and manage, but also when to let go of those who hold you back.
As I mentioned before, this book is a roller coaster ride, especially in the beginning. I sat down to read this expecting to read for maybe 20 minutes later but looked at the clock an hour later and realized that I was so involved in the story that I didn't want to stop reading. It's sad, depressing, at times fun, but most of all it's probably the most thought-provoking novel I have ever read.
My rating: I give it 3 stars not because I didn't like it or I don't think you should read it, but because I found the pacing of the book to be distracting. It starts off energetic, fast-paced, and almost manic. During the middle, it takes a turn and reads more as a desperate plea for approval or attention. And in the end, it's detailed, slower, and tired. I don't know whether this was an intentional decision, but for me as a reader it meant that every 60 pages or so I was forced to feel like I was adjusting to a new writing style.
Who should read it?: If you enjoy international novels, this is an excellent choice. I have been told that those who have been deeply affected by the decision to become a vegetarian have loved this story. Or anyone who wants to read something that is so unlike anything else out there, that there is no way they will forget this book.
I was provided with a free copy of this book in order to conduct this review.
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October 12, 2024
[Edited and spoiler hidden 10/12/24 when I read that the author won the 2024 Nobel Prize for Literature]
The author makes a point of starting the story by telling us it鈥檚 about an ordinary Korean couple. The man, recognizing that he is nothing special, marries a woman whom he calls 鈥渢he most run-of-the-mill woman in the world.鈥�
The young woman, living in Seoul, starts having nightmares full of blood and hanging meat. She decides to become a vegetarian. Her husband is irate and even recruits her family to help him get her to start eating and cooking meat again.
That pressure and the continuing nightmares push her further toward an almost plant-like existence. She takes her clothes off to get sun and runs into the forest and stands in the rain lie a tree. She hardly sleeps; she becomes anorexic and skeletal. She suffers abuse.
We learn about her abusive father, and maybe some of her issues had roots in that abuse.
There is good writing, such as this passage about her brother-in-law:
鈥溾€ven after they were married he still looked perpetually worn out. He was always busy with his own things, and during what little time he did spend at home he looked more like a traveler putting up there for a night than a man in his own home. His silence had the heavy mass of rock and the tenacious resistance of rubber, particularly when his art wasn鈥檛 going well.
The author (b. 1970) has written more than 20 books of which a half-dozen appear to have been translated into English. This book, The Vegetarian, won the 2016 Man Booker prize for translated novels. It was also picked as one of the 10 Best Books of 2016 by the NY Times Book Review. I also enjoyed reading her The White Book, mostly poems, which was shortlisted for the 2018 Man Booker prize.
Photo of Seoul from beltandroad.news
The author from nytimes.com
The author makes a point of starting the story by telling us it鈥檚 about an ordinary Korean couple. The man, recognizing that he is nothing special, marries a woman whom he calls 鈥渢he most run-of-the-mill woman in the world.鈥�
The young woman, living in Seoul, starts having nightmares full of blood and hanging meat. She decides to become a vegetarian. Her husband is irate and even recruits her family to help him get her to start eating and cooking meat again.
That pressure and the continuing nightmares push her further toward an almost plant-like existence. She takes her clothes off to get sun and runs into the forest and stands in the rain lie a tree. She hardly sleeps; she becomes anorexic and skeletal. She suffers abuse.
We learn about her abusive father, and maybe some of her issues had roots in that abuse.
There is good writing, such as this passage about her brother-in-law:
鈥溾€ven after they were married he still looked perpetually worn out. He was always busy with his own things, and during what little time he did spend at home he looked more like a traveler putting up there for a night than a man in his own home. His silence had the heavy mass of rock and the tenacious resistance of rubber, particularly when his art wasn鈥檛 going well.
The author (b. 1970) has written more than 20 books of which a half-dozen appear to have been translated into English. This book, The Vegetarian, won the 2016 Man Booker prize for translated novels. It was also picked as one of the 10 Best Books of 2016 by the NY Times Book Review. I also enjoyed reading her The White Book, mostly poems, which was shortlisted for the 2018 Man Booker prize.
Photo of Seoul from beltandroad.news
The author from nytimes.com
May 30, 2023
- 丕賵賱丕賸 賱丕 亘丿 賲賳 丕賱廿卮丕丿丞 亘賱睾丞 賲丨賲賵丿 毓亘丿 丕賱睾賮丕乇 丕賱乇丕卅毓丞 賮賷 丕賱鬲乇噩賲丞貙 賱賵賱丕 亘毓囟 丕賱丕禺胤丕亍 丕賱廿賲賱丕卅賷丞 賵丕賱賳丨賵賷丞 丕賱亘爻賷胤丞.
- 丕毓鬲賯丿 丕賵賱丕賸 丕賳賳丕 賱丕 賷賲賰賳賳丕 賯乇丕亍丞 賴匕賴 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 亘丕賱爻亘亘賷丞貙 亘賲毓賳賶 賲丕 丕賱爻亘亘 丕賱匕賷 噩毓賱賴丕 賳亘丕鬲賷丞貙 賱兀賳 賴匕丕 睾賷乇 賲賴賲 丕胤賱丕賯丕賸貙 賮鬲丨賵賱賴丕 丕賱賶 賳亘丕鬲賷丞 賴賵 賲賵賯賮 鬲噩爻賾丿 亘丕賱廿賲鬲賳丕毓 毓賳 丕賰賱 丕賱賱丨賵賲!
- 丕賱丿丕賮毓 賮賷 賴匕賴 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賴賵 丕賱禺賵賮貙 賮賴匕賴 丕賱賮鬲丕丞 丕賱鬲賷 毓丕卮鬲 賮賷 賰賳賮 丕賴賱 睾賷乇 賲鬲賮賴賲賷賳貙 賵賰丕賳鬲 鬲鬲丨賲賱 丕賱囟乇亘貙 賵鬲夭賵噩鬲 亘廿賳爻丕賳 鬲丕賮賴 賰丕賳鬲 禺丕丿賲鬲賴 賱禺賲爻 爻賳賵丕鬲貙 賴匕賴 丕賱賲禺賱賵賯丞 丕賱囟毓賷賮丞 乇丕賰賲鬲 丕賱禺賵賮 賮賵賯 丕賱禺賵賮貙 賵丕賱廿賳毓夭丕賱 賮賵賯 丕賱廿賳毓夭丕賱 賵丕賱禺囟賵毓 賵丕賱丿賵賳賷丞 丨鬲賶 囟丕賯鬲 賳賮爻賴丕 亘噩爻丿賴丕 賮亘丿兀 丕賱丨賱賲 賵亘丿兀鬲 賲丨丕賵賱丕鬲 丕賱鬲禺賱氐 賲賳賴 亘丕賱廿賲鬲賳丕毓 毓賳 丕賱賱丨賵賲!
- 丕賱賯氐丞 鬲賳賯爻賲 賱孬賱丕孬丞 丕賯爻丕賲貙 丕賱噩夭亍 丕賱丕賵賱 賵丕賱兀禺賷乇 賷卮賰賱丕賳 丕賱亘丿丕賷丞 賵丕賱賳賴丕賷丞貙 賵乇睾賲 爻賱丕爻鬲賴賲丕 丕賱丕 丕賳賴賲丕 賱丕 賷賯丕乇賳丕賳 亘廿亘丿丕毓 丕賱噩夭亍 丕賱孬丕賳賷
- 賷鬲丿乇噩 丕賱噩夭亍 丕賱兀賵賱 賲賳 夭賵丕噩貙 賮丨賷丕丞 乇鬲賷亘丞 (5 爻賳賵丕鬲) 孬賲 丕賱丨賱賲貙 賮丕賱鬲丨賵賱 賱賳亘丕鬲賷丞 賵乇賲賷 丕賱賱丨賵賲 賵"廿丨乇丕噩" 丕賱夭賵噩 賮賷 丕賱賲賳丕爻亘丕鬲貙 賮卮賰賵丕賴 賱兀賴賱賴丕貙 賮賲丨丕賵賱丞 丕賴賱賴丕 丕噩亘丕乇賴丕 毓賱賶 丕賱賱丨賲 賮丕賱囟乇亘 賮賲丨丕賵賱丞 丕賱丕賳鬲丨丕乇... 賵賷亘丿兀 丕賱噩夭亍 丕賱孬丕賱孬 亘賳賯賱賴丕 賱賲氐丨丞 丕賱兀賲乇丕囟 丕賱賳賮爻賷丞貙 賮毓賱丕噩賴丕 賮廿賲鬲賳丕毓賴丕 毓賳 丕賱毓賱丕噩 丕賱賶 丕囟賲丨賱丕賱賴丕 賵丕賯鬲乇丕亘賴丕 賲賲丕 鬲賴賵賶 丕賱丕 賵賴賵 丕賱賲賵鬲 賵丕賱鬲賵丨丿 賲毓 丕賱胤亘賷毓丞.. 賴匕丕 丕賱噩夭亍 (丕賱孬丕賱孬) 丕鬲賶 毓賱賶 賱爻丕賳 丕賱兀禺鬲 丕賱賰亘乇賶 丕賱鬲賷 乇亘胤鬲 賮賯乇丕鬲 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 亘亘毓囟賴丕 賲毓胤賷丞 丕賱兀亘毓丕丿 丕賱賳賮爻賷丞 賱賱賳氐賵氐 丕賱鬲賷 賲乇賾鬲貙 亘廿賳鬲賯丕賱 爻賱爻 賲丕 亘賷賳 丕賱賲丕囟賷 (賮賱丕卮 亘丕賰) 賵丕賱丨丕囟乇 賵氐賵賱丕賸 丕賱賶 丕賱賲爻鬲賯亘賱 賮賷 丌禺乇 爻胤賵乇 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞.
- 丕賱噩夭亍 丕賱孬丕賳賷貙 廿亘丿丕毓 乇丕卅毓貙 丿賲噩 丕賱鬲氐賵賷乇 賵丕賱乇爻賲 賵丕賱廿賷乇賵鬲賷賰 丕鬲賶 亘鬲賳丕睾賲 賲丕 亘毓丿賴 鬲賳丕睾賲貙 賮丕賱亘賳丕亍 丕賱賴丕卅賱 丨賵賱 賲氐丿乇 丕賱賴丕賲 "鬲锟斤拷賮賴" 丕賵 毓丕丿賷 賰丕賱亘賯毓丞 丕賱賲賳睾賵賱賷丞 丕鬲賶 亘卮賰賱 賱丕 賷賵氐賮貙 賰賲丕 丕賳 丕賱賵氐賮 丕賱匕賷 鬲賯賱賾亘 亘賷賳 賮賳 亘丨鬲貙 丕賱賶 賮賳 賵乇睾亘丞貙 丕賱賶 乇睾亘丞 賵丕賳鬲賴丕亍 亘丕賱噩賳爻 賲賳 丕噩賱 丕賱賮賳 賰丕賳 亘丿賷毓丕賸. 賵毓賱賶 丕賱囟賮丞 丕賱兀禺乇賶 賮廿賳 賵噩賵丿 丕賱兀禺鬲 丕賱氐睾乇賶 賮賷 賯賱亘 丕賱丨丿孬 卮丨賳 賴匕丕 丕賱噩夭亍 亘兀亘毓丕丿賺 丕禺賱丕賯賷丞 賵賳賮爻賷丞 賰孬賷乇丞. 賰賲丕 丕賳 丕賱賰丕鬲亘丞 賵亘胤乇賷賯丞 睾賷乇 賲亘丕卮乇丞 賱賲 鬲噩毓賱 賲賳 賴匕丕 丕賱丨丿孬 爻亘亘丕賸 賱廿賳賴賷丕乇 丕賱兀禺鬲 丕賱氐睾乇賶 亘賱 賰丕賳 丕賱卮賷卅 丕賱賵丨賷丿 丕賱匕賷 賮毓賱鬲賴 亘廿乇丕丿鬲賴丕 賲賳匕 亘丿丕賷丞 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 丕賱賶 丌禺乇賴丕貙 賰丕賳 賯乇丕乇賴丕.. 乇睾賲 賲丕 爻亘亘賴 賲賳 丕賳賴賷丕乇 丕賱毓丕賱賲 丨賵賱 丕禺鬲賴丕 丕賱賰亘乇賶!
- "賴賱 丕賱賲賵鬲 丕賲乇 爻賷卅" 爻丐丕賱 爻兀賱鬲賴 丕賱兀禺鬲 丕賱氐睾乇賶 賮賷 丕賱賳賴丕賷丞貙 賵賷亘丿賵 丕賳賴 賰丕賳 丕賱賴丿賮 丕賱賲賳卮賵丿....
- 丕毓鬲賯丿 丕賵賱丕賸 丕賳賳丕 賱丕 賷賲賰賳賳丕 賯乇丕亍丞 賴匕賴 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 亘丕賱爻亘亘賷丞貙 亘賲毓賳賶 賲丕 丕賱爻亘亘 丕賱匕賷 噩毓賱賴丕 賳亘丕鬲賷丞貙 賱兀賳 賴匕丕 睾賷乇 賲賴賲 丕胤賱丕賯丕賸貙 賮鬲丨賵賱賴丕 丕賱賶 賳亘丕鬲賷丞 賴賵 賲賵賯賮 鬲噩爻賾丿 亘丕賱廿賲鬲賳丕毓 毓賳 丕賰賱 丕賱賱丨賵賲!
- 丕賱丿丕賮毓 賮賷 賴匕賴 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賴賵 丕賱禺賵賮貙 賮賴匕賴 丕賱賮鬲丕丞 丕賱鬲賷 毓丕卮鬲 賮賷 賰賳賮 丕賴賱 睾賷乇 賲鬲賮賴賲賷賳貙 賵賰丕賳鬲 鬲鬲丨賲賱 丕賱囟乇亘貙 賵鬲夭賵噩鬲 亘廿賳爻丕賳 鬲丕賮賴 賰丕賳鬲 禺丕丿賲鬲賴 賱禺賲爻 爻賳賵丕鬲貙 賴匕賴 丕賱賲禺賱賵賯丞 丕賱囟毓賷賮丞 乇丕賰賲鬲 丕賱禺賵賮 賮賵賯 丕賱禺賵賮貙 賵丕賱廿賳毓夭丕賱 賮賵賯 丕賱廿賳毓夭丕賱 賵丕賱禺囟賵毓 賵丕賱丿賵賳賷丞 丨鬲賶 囟丕賯鬲 賳賮爻賴丕 亘噩爻丿賴丕 賮亘丿兀 丕賱丨賱賲 賵亘丿兀鬲 賲丨丕賵賱丕鬲 丕賱鬲禺賱氐 賲賳賴 亘丕賱廿賲鬲賳丕毓 毓賳 丕賱賱丨賵賲!
- 丕賱賯氐丞 鬲賳賯爻賲 賱孬賱丕孬丞 丕賯爻丕賲貙 丕賱噩夭亍 丕賱丕賵賱 賵丕賱兀禺賷乇 賷卮賰賱丕賳 丕賱亘丿丕賷丞 賵丕賱賳賴丕賷丞貙 賵乇睾賲 爻賱丕爻鬲賴賲丕 丕賱丕 丕賳賴賲丕 賱丕 賷賯丕乇賳丕賳 亘廿亘丿丕毓 丕賱噩夭亍 丕賱孬丕賳賷
- 賷鬲丿乇噩 丕賱噩夭亍 丕賱兀賵賱 賲賳 夭賵丕噩貙 賮丨賷丕丞 乇鬲賷亘丞 (5 爻賳賵丕鬲) 孬賲 丕賱丨賱賲貙 賮丕賱鬲丨賵賱 賱賳亘丕鬲賷丞 賵乇賲賷 丕賱賱丨賵賲 賵"廿丨乇丕噩" 丕賱夭賵噩 賮賷 丕賱賲賳丕爻亘丕鬲貙 賮卮賰賵丕賴 賱兀賴賱賴丕貙 賮賲丨丕賵賱丞 丕賴賱賴丕 丕噩亘丕乇賴丕 毓賱賶 丕賱賱丨賲 賮丕賱囟乇亘 賮賲丨丕賵賱丞 丕賱丕賳鬲丨丕乇... 賵賷亘丿兀 丕賱噩夭亍 丕賱孬丕賱孬 亘賳賯賱賴丕 賱賲氐丨丞 丕賱兀賲乇丕囟 丕賱賳賮爻賷丞貙 賮毓賱丕噩賴丕 賮廿賲鬲賳丕毓賴丕 毓賳 丕賱毓賱丕噩 丕賱賶 丕囟賲丨賱丕賱賴丕 賵丕賯鬲乇丕亘賴丕 賲賲丕 鬲賴賵賶 丕賱丕 賵賴賵 丕賱賲賵鬲 賵丕賱鬲賵丨丿 賲毓 丕賱胤亘賷毓丞.. 賴匕丕 丕賱噩夭亍 (丕賱孬丕賱孬) 丕鬲賶 毓賱賶 賱爻丕賳 丕賱兀禺鬲 丕賱賰亘乇賶 丕賱鬲賷 乇亘胤鬲 賮賯乇丕鬲 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 亘亘毓囟賴丕 賲毓胤賷丞 丕賱兀亘毓丕丿 丕賱賳賮爻賷丞 賱賱賳氐賵氐 丕賱鬲賷 賲乇賾鬲貙 亘廿賳鬲賯丕賱 爻賱爻 賲丕 亘賷賳 丕賱賲丕囟賷 (賮賱丕卮 亘丕賰) 賵丕賱丨丕囟乇 賵氐賵賱丕賸 丕賱賶 丕賱賲爻鬲賯亘賱 賮賷 丌禺乇 爻胤賵乇 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞.
- 丕賱噩夭亍 丕賱孬丕賳賷貙 廿亘丿丕毓 乇丕卅毓貙 丿賲噩 丕賱鬲氐賵賷乇 賵丕賱乇爻賲 賵丕賱廿賷乇賵鬲賷賰 丕鬲賶 亘鬲賳丕睾賲 賲丕 亘毓丿賴 鬲賳丕睾賲貙 賮丕賱亘賳丕亍 丕賱賴丕卅賱 丨賵賱 賲氐丿乇 丕賱賴丕賲 "鬲锟斤拷賮賴" 丕賵 毓丕丿賷 賰丕賱亘賯毓丞 丕賱賲賳睾賵賱賷丞 丕鬲賶 亘卮賰賱 賱丕 賷賵氐賮貙 賰賲丕 丕賳 丕賱賵氐賮 丕賱匕賷 鬲賯賱賾亘 亘賷賳 賮賳 亘丨鬲貙 丕賱賶 賮賳 賵乇睾亘丞貙 丕賱賶 乇睾亘丞 賵丕賳鬲賴丕亍 亘丕賱噩賳爻 賲賳 丕噩賱 丕賱賮賳 賰丕賳 亘丿賷毓丕賸. 賵毓賱賶 丕賱囟賮丞 丕賱兀禺乇賶 賮廿賳 賵噩賵丿 丕賱兀禺鬲 丕賱氐睾乇賶 賮賷 賯賱亘 丕賱丨丿孬 卮丨賳 賴匕丕 丕賱噩夭亍 亘兀亘毓丕丿賺 丕禺賱丕賯賷丞 賵賳賮爻賷丞 賰孬賷乇丞. 賰賲丕 丕賳 丕賱賰丕鬲亘丞 賵亘胤乇賷賯丞 睾賷乇 賲亘丕卮乇丞 賱賲 鬲噩毓賱 賲賳 賴匕丕 丕賱丨丿孬 爻亘亘丕賸 賱廿賳賴賷丕乇 丕賱兀禺鬲 丕賱氐睾乇賶 亘賱 賰丕賳 丕賱卮賷卅 丕賱賵丨賷丿 丕賱匕賷 賮毓賱鬲賴 亘廿乇丕丿鬲賴丕 賲賳匕 亘丿丕賷丞 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 丕賱賶 丌禺乇賴丕貙 賰丕賳 賯乇丕乇賴丕.. 乇睾賲 賲丕 爻亘亘賴 賲賳 丕賳賴賷丕乇 丕賱毓丕賱賲 丨賵賱 丕禺鬲賴丕 丕賱賰亘乇賶!
- "賴賱 丕賱賲賵鬲 丕賲乇 爻賷卅" 爻丐丕賱 爻兀賱鬲賴 丕賱兀禺鬲 丕賱氐睾乇賶 賮賷 丕賱賳賴丕賷丞貙 賵賷亘丿賵 丕賳賴 賰丕賳 丕賱賴丿賮 丕賱賲賳卮賵丿....
August 14, 2022
To me, the most important part of this book is not su much the fact that the protagonist wanted to become a vegetarian, but the reason why she did it. Is it the violence she lived through with her father? And the big question is, what went on in her dreams? I really was captivated by this book, the way the story is structured, from different points of view, the way it shows society or family as a controling system. The only defect I can think of, is how very short it was. More Han Kang for me please!!
May 29, 2017
I liked several aspects of The Vegetarian on an intellectual level. Han Kang does a great job portraying how women suffer from the male gaze, patriarchal standards that make them adhere to men, and abuse brought on by the forced consumption of meat and the men who partake in said consumption. As a future psychologist passionate about eating disorders, though, I abhorred how Kang portrayed Yeong-hye's descent into anorexia. Yes, I get that her refusal to eat meat and then food overall symbolizes her rejection of the normative, sexist values of her surrounding society and family. But Kang glorified this restrictive behavior too much. Others have described this book as "beautiful" and "fresh" and "delicious." This book is literally about a woman who slowly kills herself through self-starvation. There is nothing pretty or romantic or healthy about this novel. I would not want anyone to model their actions after Yeong-hye, and I wish Kang had driven home that point more.
Overall, a good depiction of a woman who suffers because of the violence men inflict upon her. I do not recommend it though, based on wanting to avoid the implication that anorexia is a reasonable way to cope - when I know firsthand and from other experiences that it is not.
Overall, a good depiction of a woman who suffers because of the violence men inflict upon her. I do not recommend it though, based on wanting to avoid the implication that anorexia is a reasonable way to cope - when I know firsthand and from other experiences that it is not.
July 6, 2020
Before reading this, I was warned that it was weird. And yes, it kind of was. But not in a surreal way. It was more that the writing was so raw, subversive and undulating that it became weird in its honesty.
Either way, one of the best books I've read this year.
Either way, one of the best books I've read this year.
September 29, 2019
"Rechazando la carne, mi protagonista rechaza la violencia del ser humano" con esta frase que la autora contesta en una entrevista que tambi茅n recoge la novela, se puede resumir bastante bien de lo que trata este libro. Aunque es mucho, much铆simo m谩s. Es una novela enorme en may煤sculas.
Nos vamos a encontrar con Yeonghye un mujer que de pronto decide dejar de comer carne. Curiosamente la autora decide contarnos la historia de Yeonghye a trav茅s de tres narradores diferentes, su marido, su cu帽ado y su hermana. Y, extra帽amente, consegu铆 empatizar con la protagonista a un nivel, que me extra帽a much铆simo haberlo conseguido sin escuchar sus propios pensamientos.
Como digo este libro es enorme y bajo la trama de una chica que decide dejar de comer carne, se esconde mucho m谩s. Es una cr铆tica a la sociedad y no creo que solo se centre en la surcoreana, se puede extrapolar al resto del mundo, porque en mayor o menor medida, es algo que se repite en todos los pa铆ses. Como digo, es una cr铆tica a esta sociedad donde no se puede destacar, donde si algo se sale de la norma se se帽ala, se castiga. Una sociedad donde alguien no puede dejar de comer carne sin que el mundo de su alrededor opine. La mayor铆a de los personajes le repiten constantemente que sin la carne no tendr谩 vitalidad, y, curiosamente, ning煤n personaje irradia energ铆a, m谩s bien todo lo contrario. Se mueven casi por inercia. Y adem谩s, salvo su hermana al final, a ning煤n personaje parece que le mueva la preocupaci贸n real por la salud de la protagonista, si no el mero hecho de que no destaque, de que algo diferente que no entienden, no les incomode o perturbe su vida. Por ejemplo, su marido, lo 煤nico que opina sobre ella es que ha cambiado y ya no le resulta tan c贸moda la convivencia con ella.
Y, por supuesto, una vez m谩s, la peor parte se la lleva la mujer. Curiosamente el 煤nico personaje que logra entenderla al final, si no bien en su totalidad, si empatizar con ella, es su hermana. Otra mujer que ha pasado por esa misma violencia con la que la sociedad liderada por hombres oprime a las mujeres. Existen muchas citas donde su marido habla de ella como una persona a la que escogi贸 por "simple", por no destacar o por no tener nada especial. Y que eso le gustaba de ella, que estuviera callada y no diera problemas. De hecho, curiosamente, jam谩s la llama por su nombre, solo la nombra como "mi mujer" o "ella", como si fuera una m谩s de sus posesiones. O su cu帽ado, que solo la ve como un elemento para conseguir satisfacer sus deseos. As铆, es su hermana Inhye el 煤nico personaje que realmente trata de entenderla y consigue ponerse en sinton铆a con ella de alguna manera.
La novela tiene un pr贸logo y una nota posterior de la traductora super interesantes, donde nos cuenta que la novela en Corea inicialmente fue muy cr铆ticada y no gust贸 a los cr铆ticos, y que estos, obviamente, eran predominantemente hombres. De hecho a las mujeres sol铆a gustarles la novela, mientras que los hombres no lograban entenderla. Vaya vaya. La historia de siempre.
Por otra parte, mientras le铆 la novela ten铆a un sentimiento rar铆simo que pocas veces he experimentado leyendo un libro. Muy pocas. Y no lograba identificarlo hasta que lo acab茅. Era incomodidad, el libro te hace sentir oprimido. Es tan perturbador, tan crudo y realista, que te pone los pelos de punta cada p谩gina.
Aconsejar铆a a todo el mundo que leyera este libro con ganas y analizando cada frase sin quedarse en la superficialidad del tema inicial, para lograr sacarle todo el jugo que merece este libro. A煤n as铆, mi consejo es que si no est谩s acostumbrado a leer literatura asi谩tica, vayas primero a otro tipo de libro. En fin, ya tenemos un firme candidato a mejor lectura de 2019. MARAVILLA ABSOLUTA.
Nos vamos a encontrar con Yeonghye un mujer que de pronto decide dejar de comer carne. Curiosamente la autora decide contarnos la historia de Yeonghye a trav茅s de tres narradores diferentes, su marido, su cu帽ado y su hermana. Y, extra帽amente, consegu铆 empatizar con la protagonista a un nivel, que me extra帽a much铆simo haberlo conseguido sin escuchar sus propios pensamientos.
Como digo este libro es enorme y bajo la trama de una chica que decide dejar de comer carne, se esconde mucho m谩s. Es una cr铆tica a la sociedad y no creo que solo se centre en la surcoreana, se puede extrapolar al resto del mundo, porque en mayor o menor medida, es algo que se repite en todos los pa铆ses. Como digo, es una cr铆tica a esta sociedad donde no se puede destacar, donde si algo se sale de la norma se se帽ala, se castiga. Una sociedad donde alguien no puede dejar de comer carne sin que el mundo de su alrededor opine. La mayor铆a de los personajes le repiten constantemente que sin la carne no tendr谩 vitalidad, y, curiosamente, ning煤n personaje irradia energ铆a, m谩s bien todo lo contrario. Se mueven casi por inercia. Y adem谩s, salvo su hermana al final, a ning煤n personaje parece que le mueva la preocupaci贸n real por la salud de la protagonista, si no el mero hecho de que no destaque, de que algo diferente que no entienden, no les incomode o perturbe su vida. Por ejemplo, su marido, lo 煤nico que opina sobre ella es que ha cambiado y ya no le resulta tan c贸moda la convivencia con ella.
Y, por supuesto, una vez m谩s, la peor parte se la lleva la mujer. Curiosamente el 煤nico personaje que logra entenderla al final, si no bien en su totalidad, si empatizar con ella, es su hermana. Otra mujer que ha pasado por esa misma violencia con la que la sociedad liderada por hombres oprime a las mujeres. Existen muchas citas donde su marido habla de ella como una persona a la que escogi贸 por "simple", por no destacar o por no tener nada especial. Y que eso le gustaba de ella, que estuviera callada y no diera problemas. De hecho, curiosamente, jam谩s la llama por su nombre, solo la nombra como "mi mujer" o "ella", como si fuera una m谩s de sus posesiones. O su cu帽ado, que solo la ve como un elemento para conseguir satisfacer sus deseos. As铆, es su hermana Inhye el 煤nico personaje que realmente trata de entenderla y consigue ponerse en sinton铆a con ella de alguna manera.
La novela tiene un pr贸logo y una nota posterior de la traductora super interesantes, donde nos cuenta que la novela en Corea inicialmente fue muy cr铆ticada y no gust贸 a los cr铆ticos, y que estos, obviamente, eran predominantemente hombres. De hecho a las mujeres sol铆a gustarles la novela, mientras que los hombres no lograban entenderla. Vaya vaya. La historia de siempre.
Por otra parte, mientras le铆 la novela ten铆a un sentimiento rar铆simo que pocas veces he experimentado leyendo un libro. Muy pocas. Y no lograba identificarlo hasta que lo acab茅. Era incomodidad, el libro te hace sentir oprimido. Es tan perturbador, tan crudo y realista, que te pone los pelos de punta cada p谩gina.
Aconsejar铆a a todo el mundo que leyera este libro con ganas y analizando cada frase sin quedarse en la superficialidad del tema inicial, para lograr sacarle todo el jugo que merece este libro. A煤n as铆, mi consejo es que si no est谩s acostumbrado a leer literatura asi谩tica, vayas primero a otro tipo de libro. En fin, ya tenemos un firme candidato a mejor lectura de 2019. MARAVILLA ABSOLUTA.
May 25, 2022
I feel like i understand what the book was trying to 'do' here, so a 1 star mightttt feel a little unfair... but i had just the absolute worst time reading this story.
There comes a time when you have to take off your 'critical reader hat' and let yourself rate things based on enjoyment, and this is a 0/10 - you couldn't pay me to read it again
There comes a time when you have to take off your 'critical reader hat' and let yourself rate things based on enjoyment, and this is a 0/10 - you couldn't pay me to read it again
May 28, 2023
When I start reading this book, I found that her writing style is tasteful and imaginative.
One day, Yeong-hye decided to become a vegetarian when she woke up. She had a dream!
"The Vegetarian" is talking about the complexities of personal identity and the sacrifices we make.
The novel also mentions on mental health and its effects on individuals and relationships.
Some of the contents in this book are explicit and disturbing and not suitable for young readers.
Can we challenge our norms of living? Not that easy, I think.
Maybe it conceals and camouflages a lot of hidden messages inside this novel. I don't know.
One day, Yeong-hye decided to become a vegetarian when she woke up. She had a dream!
"The Vegetarian" is talking about the complexities of personal identity and the sacrifices we make.
The novel also mentions on mental health and its effects on individuals and relationships.
Some of the contents in this book are explicit and disturbing and not suitable for young readers.
Can we challenge our norms of living? Not that easy, I think.
Maybe it conceals and camouflages a lot of hidden messages inside this novel. I don't know.
January 30, 2019
This was a perfect, perfect book for me. The novel is simply told, and very short, but it touches on so many critical, cut-to-the-bone themes, including the most fundamental questions of identity, of gender, of responsibility toward others, and of what makes life worth living. In this novel the more outwardly stable and successful a character is, the less likely they are to have any perspective on their life choices. The more a given character becomes aware of their lived experience, the closer he or she comes to falling into the abyss. The story forces characters, and by extension readers, to think deeply about what "self" is, whether it be defined most simply as an organic body with organic desires and needs of its own, or as part of a social structure, where one's value and even one's sanity is defined by others. This was a disturbing read in the best sense possible--I was disturbed from complacent thinking and stirred up with new thoughts.
October 15, 2024
She's turned vegetarian... now what a ridiculous b!+ch!
Riveting adult fiction. What do I mean by "adult"? In middle school you would not have understood it; in high school you would have hated it. But adults acting as children, having crises in front of their community--at high noon? Yeah. I've been indoctrinated.
Han Kang has a taut, very animalistic tale of madness and marriage to share with us. So... Let's eat!
Riveting adult fiction. What do I mean by "adult"? In middle school you would not have understood it; in high school you would have hated it. But adults acting as children, having crises in front of their community--at high noon? Yeah. I've been indoctrinated.
Han Kang has a taut, very animalistic tale of madness and marriage to share with us. So... Let's eat!
October 10, 2024
I read The Vegetarian during a day-long trip on buses, trains and planes, starting at about 8 o'clock in the morning, finishing when the plane touched down an hour late at my final destination.
Readers, be warned: this experiment should not necessarily be repeated, it may cause utter distress and embarrassment.
8 o'clock, inner city bus in a major German city:
"Before my wife turned vegetarian, I'd always thought of her as completely unremarkable in every way."
I laugh out loud, and gather some surprised looks in the "pre-morning-coffee" crowd on the bus. My reaction is somewhat inappropriate, both with regards to my setting and to the fact that this book takes a turn that is NO LAUGHING MATTER! Before buying a coffee-to-go on my first train ride of the day, I already choke on my own laughter, realising that the first of the different narrators is one of the most selfish, uncaring, brutal male prototypes imaginable, and the story is developed from his point of view, which is a magnificent stylistic feature.
10 o'clock, crammed local train moving into the conservative countryside:
While I read about an atrocious case of physical abuse in the name of patriarchal power, leading to mental breakdown as well as family dissolution, shivering at the passive fictional bystanders watching the violence in voyeuristic fascination, the train prepares for its final station and a group of Asian tourists are lining up in the corridor to leave the train. An elderly Bavarian man tells his wife and grandchild that there is no use getting off their seats as long as (enter derogatory word for Japanese in German which I still am too angry to repeat) are clogging the train. Fuelled by the effect of patriarchal superiority complex I read about just a second earlier, and by the fact that the Asian setting of the novel makes it somehow closer to the situation I am experiencing in real life, I literally see red and turn to the old man, just a casual racist as there are legion everywhere, and ask him if he is aware that all people have the same right to this train? He mumbles something, trying to explain that it is a fact though. They are standing there. Yes, it is a fact that people are standing in the train, trying to leave. Only a racist makes a derogatory remark on their origin (which, by the way, doesn't have to be Japanese at all, just because he thinks so). That is how patriarchy and racism work, and I was shaking when I left the train, as much because of the conflict I had had myself, as because of the enhancing effect of the brutal novel on my fragile equilibrium.
12 o'clock in a local village, without cash:
While the story evolves into a case of mental disease and a rare form of anorexia nervosa, I start to feel like I am starving myself. Where do you find anything to eat in a village that doesn't accept credit cards, and that thinks vegetarianism means taking the meat off the regular plate?
14 o'clock in a local train, other direction, still no food, hallucinating over a chocolate bar:
While the train stops for a police action (the story doesn't provide any further information on that matter, unfortunately), and I see minutes pass, worrying I might miss my plane, I look outside and see beautiful landscapes with trees and flowers in abundance, while reading about violent sex acts carried out in a most disturbing way, by protagonists with flower patterns painted all over their bodies. I feel slightly uncomfortable to read the book in a public space now, hoping not to draw any attention to myself. It is intense reading. No quotes.
17 o'clock at an airport, waiting, I have food and water and a spot to myself, locked away in the security area:
And that is a good thing, because now the story moves between dream and reality, between now and childhood trauma, between guilt and shame. How can you possibly be a woman in a world dominated by male rules and male violence? In a hospital for mental health, the vegetarian tries to change into a plant in order to escape the carnal pain that has defined her life from the beginning. And in her sister, she plants a seed of doubt. What if she is not the strong one, after all? Just the one hiding behind a polished surface, having demured, but not lived?
20 o'clock, on a plane, constant background noise as a mother struggles to keep her two toddlers quiet (without success) while the plane has been delayed twice before finally heading to the North:
The screams that fill the claustrophobic aircraft cabin resonate in the silent pain of the main character trying to erase the traces of humanity in herself. The story is hardly bearable on a regular day, but after 12 hours of exposure to public transportation, it hits you in the stomach and makes you feel nauseous.
22 o'clock, touchdown, last lines.
"The look in her eyes is dark and insistent."
Readers, be warned: this experiment should not necessarily be repeated, it may cause utter distress and embarrassment.
8 o'clock, inner city bus in a major German city:
"Before my wife turned vegetarian, I'd always thought of her as completely unremarkable in every way."
I laugh out loud, and gather some surprised looks in the "pre-morning-coffee" crowd on the bus. My reaction is somewhat inappropriate, both with regards to my setting and to the fact that this book takes a turn that is NO LAUGHING MATTER! Before buying a coffee-to-go on my first train ride of the day, I already choke on my own laughter, realising that the first of the different narrators is one of the most selfish, uncaring, brutal male prototypes imaginable, and the story is developed from his point of view, which is a magnificent stylistic feature.
10 o'clock, crammed local train moving into the conservative countryside:
While I read about an atrocious case of physical abuse in the name of patriarchal power, leading to mental breakdown as well as family dissolution, shivering at the passive fictional bystanders watching the violence in voyeuristic fascination, the train prepares for its final station and a group of Asian tourists are lining up in the corridor to leave the train. An elderly Bavarian man tells his wife and grandchild that there is no use getting off their seats as long as (enter derogatory word for Japanese in German which I still am too angry to repeat) are clogging the train. Fuelled by the effect of patriarchal superiority complex I read about just a second earlier, and by the fact that the Asian setting of the novel makes it somehow closer to the situation I am experiencing in real life, I literally see red and turn to the old man, just a casual racist as there are legion everywhere, and ask him if he is aware that all people have the same right to this train? He mumbles something, trying to explain that it is a fact though. They are standing there. Yes, it is a fact that people are standing in the train, trying to leave. Only a racist makes a derogatory remark on their origin (which, by the way, doesn't have to be Japanese at all, just because he thinks so). That is how patriarchy and racism work, and I was shaking when I left the train, as much because of the conflict I had had myself, as because of the enhancing effect of the brutal novel on my fragile equilibrium.
12 o'clock in a local village, without cash:
While the story evolves into a case of mental disease and a rare form of anorexia nervosa, I start to feel like I am starving myself. Where do you find anything to eat in a village that doesn't accept credit cards, and that thinks vegetarianism means taking the meat off the regular plate?
14 o'clock in a local train, other direction, still no food, hallucinating over a chocolate bar:
While the train stops for a police action (the story doesn't provide any further information on that matter, unfortunately), and I see minutes pass, worrying I might miss my plane, I look outside and see beautiful landscapes with trees and flowers in abundance, while reading about violent sex acts carried out in a most disturbing way, by protagonists with flower patterns painted all over their bodies. I feel slightly uncomfortable to read the book in a public space now, hoping not to draw any attention to myself. It is intense reading. No quotes.
17 o'clock at an airport, waiting, I have food and water and a spot to myself, locked away in the security area:
And that is a good thing, because now the story moves between dream and reality, between now and childhood trauma, between guilt and shame. How can you possibly be a woman in a world dominated by male rules and male violence? In a hospital for mental health, the vegetarian tries to change into a plant in order to escape the carnal pain that has defined her life from the beginning. And in her sister, she plants a seed of doubt. What if she is not the strong one, after all? Just the one hiding behind a polished surface, having demured, but not lived?
20 o'clock, on a plane, constant background noise as a mother struggles to keep her two toddlers quiet (without success) while the plane has been delayed twice before finally heading to the North:
The screams that fill the claustrophobic aircraft cabin resonate in the silent pain of the main character trying to erase the traces of humanity in herself. The story is hardly bearable on a regular day, but after 12 hours of exposure to public transportation, it hits you in the stomach and makes you feel nauseous.
22 o'clock, touchdown, last lines.
"The look in her eyes is dark and insistent."
March 2, 2025
In my country, compared to the vast expanse dedicated to Japanese literature in bookstores, the space allocated to Korean literature is pitifully small. Moreover, translations of serious literary works are scarce, making it difficult to understand Korean society through such works. So, my impression of Korea is largely shaped by the various exaggerations and melodramatic plots of Korean dramas. It's said that over 80% of Korean drama writers are housewives who, write gossip and daydreams to earn some extra money, clearly indicating a rather perfunctory approach to writing.
As a professional writer and a professor of creative writing at Seoul Arts University, Han Kang, however, takes her writing seriously: her psychological descriptions are extremely delicate, showcasing the strengths of a female writer; and her writing perspective is unique.
I believe that The Vegetarian, won the Nobel in large part due to her choice of using 鈥漜hanges in diet" to reflect 鈥漜hanges in the human psyche." 鈥淰egetarianism" is a symbol, a form of escape, a rebellion against the 鈥漜arnivorous age." Using 鈥漞补迟颈苍驳," such as a basic act of survival, as a starting point, not only makes it easy for readers to identify with and empathize with, but also creates a strong tension with the 鈥漨ental disorder" reflected in the novel, resulting in a more shocking effect, even to the point of being horrifying.
In my opinion, this book is all about the deep despair that modern people feel. As to the reasons for this despair, they may vary from person to person: perhaps it's the sense of powerlessness brought by the pressure of survival, perhaps it's the strong constraints of the workplace, perhaps it's the torment of family conflicts, or perhaps, like Young-hye, it comes from the brutality of her father in childhood, the indifference of her husband after marriage, and the intolerance of traditional concepts. These reasons accumulate day by day, and we may not even notice that we have fallen into despair one day. Just like Young-hye, after experiencing countless nightmares, one day at 4 a.m., she stood motionless in front of the refrigerator. She threw away all the meat in the house and became a complete vegetarian from then on.
Young-hye's husband doesn't understand why a woman who was so unremarkable in appearance and behavior, and therefore so reassuring, would suddenly become so different.
I didn't understand at first either.
While the novel describes Young-hye's terrifying dreams - lost in a deep, dark forest, entering a hut hung with hundreds of large, blood-red chunks of meat, chewing raw flesh, and seeing her own ferocious face reflected in a pool of blood - it doesn't elaborate on the psychological process that led to her change. However, as the plot unfolds, we can see from her husband's attitude towards her - misunderstanding, disdain, and eventually abandoning her - and from the reactions of Young-hye's parents and family - forcing her to eat meat, beating her, and forcing her to commit suicide - that Young-hye is an incredibly lonely person. She is a representative of modern people who are bound by life: repressed desires, hidden childhood traumas, the huge gap between the closest people created by selfishness and indifference, and the deep sadness that cannot be expressed. All of these have created a huge black hole in the bodies of modern people, creating a rootless soul without love.
However, becoming a vegetarian and staying away from meat did not bring peace to Young-hye's heart. On the one hand, the guilt she felt from her childhood, when her pet dog, was bitten by a dog and her father tied the dog to a motorcycle and ran it to death, and the whole family ate the dog meat, could never be erased; on the other hand, the repressed desires under the loneliness had nowhere to vent. In modern society, behind the feigned strangeness between people, there is a strong desire for communication and exchange. Young-hye likes to take off her clothes in public and expose her body. She is fascinated by the vivid flowers and vines that her brother-in-law paints on her naked body. These desires displayed on the body have nothing to do with the physical body, but represent a strong spiritual yearning. Due to the lack of true love and understanding, we are all "patients" and "mentally ill" in modern society, facing more and more psychological problems. Often, we not only don't understand others, but we also don't understand ourselves, cutting off the possibility of communication with others. Young-hye's parents love her, but they first beg her to eat meat, and then violently force her to eat meat; Young-hye's sister loves her, but she cannot accept her covered in flowers, naked, and together with her own husband, so she sent her to a mental hospital.
In the mental institution, Young-hye yearns to become a tree, hoping to root her soul like a tree. She stands on her head for a long time, trying to burrow deep into the earth; she begins to fast, believing that she only needs sunlight to exist. She struggles desperately, coughs up large amounts of blood, and is on the verge of death. From someone who yearns to break free from the shackles of life, she truly becomes a patient, a person about to leave this world. How much repression and helplessness can create such extreme despair? How can it make her want to escape her human body and find true liberation in death? It's so shocking, yet so bleak.
The reason I say that Young-hye embodies the universal repression and despair of modern people is that these characteristics are also evident in the novel's other two protagonists. Young-hye's brother-in-law is a visual artist who has lost his creative passion. He does not love his wife, finds marriage boring and oppressive, and lacks the proper sense of responsibility for his children. The only thing that can arouse his passion is hearing that his sister-in-law has a birthmark on her buttocks. To see this birthmark, he deceives his sister-in-law into doing body painting, but unintentionally creates real art. He is immersed in the primitive desire aroused by the birthmark and the flowers, which becomes the only meaning of his life.
Young-hye's sister, In-hye, is a traditional strong woman. She runs a cosmetics store, supports the whole family, supports her artistic husband, and diligently raises her son, acting as the most capable eldest daughter in front of her parents. She thought she loved her husband, but found that her husband had long lost interest in her and the family, and had an affair with her own sister; she thought she loved her sister, but found that it was her repeated coldness and coercion that led to her sister's lifelessness; she thought she loved her son, but tried to commit suicide, leaving her 6-year-old son to live alone in the world. She is not even as lucky as her sister, unable to become a tree. When she held a rope and thought of ending her life on the mountain, she found that "there was no tree willing to take her in." So she discovered that living is a very strange thing... After experiencing some things, after experiencing all kinds of unbearable disasters, people can still eat, drink, sleep, and defecate, and they can even laugh heartily. When I realized that I was living like this too, the pity that I had forgotten was slowly awakened like sleep.
Young-hye's ending cannot be entirely attributed to modern society and others; her own weakness is also an important reason. In-hye's fate is different from Young-hye's. She tries to save herself from this "modern despair," but where does the strength come from? If it is said that In-hye did not commit suicide simply because she had a responsibility to her child and because she regarded the past as "just a dream," it would not be convincing enough. How to overcome the weakness of modern people, how to place salvation in the future? The author does not give a clear answer.
What will happen "then"? Are those self-suppressions real? Can we find the courage to continue living?
4.6 / 5 atars
As a professional writer and a professor of creative writing at Seoul Arts University, Han Kang, however, takes her writing seriously: her psychological descriptions are extremely delicate, showcasing the strengths of a female writer; and her writing perspective is unique.
I believe that The Vegetarian, won the Nobel in large part due to her choice of using 鈥漜hanges in diet" to reflect 鈥漜hanges in the human psyche." 鈥淰egetarianism" is a symbol, a form of escape, a rebellion against the 鈥漜arnivorous age." Using 鈥漞补迟颈苍驳," such as a basic act of survival, as a starting point, not only makes it easy for readers to identify with and empathize with, but also creates a strong tension with the 鈥漨ental disorder" reflected in the novel, resulting in a more shocking effect, even to the point of being horrifying.
In my opinion, this book is all about the deep despair that modern people feel. As to the reasons for this despair, they may vary from person to person: perhaps it's the sense of powerlessness brought by the pressure of survival, perhaps it's the strong constraints of the workplace, perhaps it's the torment of family conflicts, or perhaps, like Young-hye, it comes from the brutality of her father in childhood, the indifference of her husband after marriage, and the intolerance of traditional concepts. These reasons accumulate day by day, and we may not even notice that we have fallen into despair one day. Just like Young-hye, after experiencing countless nightmares, one day at 4 a.m., she stood motionless in front of the refrigerator. She threw away all the meat in the house and became a complete vegetarian from then on.
Young-hye's husband doesn't understand why a woman who was so unremarkable in appearance and behavior, and therefore so reassuring, would suddenly become so different.
I didn't understand at first either.
While the novel describes Young-hye's terrifying dreams - lost in a deep, dark forest, entering a hut hung with hundreds of large, blood-red chunks of meat, chewing raw flesh, and seeing her own ferocious face reflected in a pool of blood - it doesn't elaborate on the psychological process that led to her change. However, as the plot unfolds, we can see from her husband's attitude towards her - misunderstanding, disdain, and eventually abandoning her - and from the reactions of Young-hye's parents and family - forcing her to eat meat, beating her, and forcing her to commit suicide - that Young-hye is an incredibly lonely person. She is a representative of modern people who are bound by life: repressed desires, hidden childhood traumas, the huge gap between the closest people created by selfishness and indifference, and the deep sadness that cannot be expressed. All of these have created a huge black hole in the bodies of modern people, creating a rootless soul without love.
However, becoming a vegetarian and staying away from meat did not bring peace to Young-hye's heart. On the one hand, the guilt she felt from her childhood, when her pet dog, was bitten by a dog and her father tied the dog to a motorcycle and ran it to death, and the whole family ate the dog meat, could never be erased; on the other hand, the repressed desires under the loneliness had nowhere to vent. In modern society, behind the feigned strangeness between people, there is a strong desire for communication and exchange. Young-hye likes to take off her clothes in public and expose her body. She is fascinated by the vivid flowers and vines that her brother-in-law paints on her naked body. These desires displayed on the body have nothing to do with the physical body, but represent a strong spiritual yearning. Due to the lack of true love and understanding, we are all "patients" and "mentally ill" in modern society, facing more and more psychological problems. Often, we not only don't understand others, but we also don't understand ourselves, cutting off the possibility of communication with others. Young-hye's parents love her, but they first beg her to eat meat, and then violently force her to eat meat; Young-hye's sister loves her, but she cannot accept her covered in flowers, naked, and together with her own husband, so she sent her to a mental hospital.
In the mental institution, Young-hye yearns to become a tree, hoping to root her soul like a tree. She stands on her head for a long time, trying to burrow deep into the earth; she begins to fast, believing that she only needs sunlight to exist. She struggles desperately, coughs up large amounts of blood, and is on the verge of death. From someone who yearns to break free from the shackles of life, she truly becomes a patient, a person about to leave this world. How much repression and helplessness can create such extreme despair? How can it make her want to escape her human body and find true liberation in death? It's so shocking, yet so bleak.
The reason I say that Young-hye embodies the universal repression and despair of modern people is that these characteristics are also evident in the novel's other two protagonists. Young-hye's brother-in-law is a visual artist who has lost his creative passion. He does not love his wife, finds marriage boring and oppressive, and lacks the proper sense of responsibility for his children. The only thing that can arouse his passion is hearing that his sister-in-law has a birthmark on her buttocks. To see this birthmark, he deceives his sister-in-law into doing body painting, but unintentionally creates real art. He is immersed in the primitive desire aroused by the birthmark and the flowers, which becomes the only meaning of his life.
Young-hye's sister, In-hye, is a traditional strong woman. She runs a cosmetics store, supports the whole family, supports her artistic husband, and diligently raises her son, acting as the most capable eldest daughter in front of her parents. She thought she loved her husband, but found that her husband had long lost interest in her and the family, and had an affair with her own sister; she thought she loved her sister, but found that it was her repeated coldness and coercion that led to her sister's lifelessness; she thought she loved her son, but tried to commit suicide, leaving her 6-year-old son to live alone in the world. She is not even as lucky as her sister, unable to become a tree. When she held a rope and thought of ending her life on the mountain, she found that "there was no tree willing to take her in." So she discovered that living is a very strange thing... After experiencing some things, after experiencing all kinds of unbearable disasters, people can still eat, drink, sleep, and defecate, and they can even laugh heartily. When I realized that I was living like this too, the pity that I had forgotten was slowly awakened like sleep.
Young-hye's ending cannot be entirely attributed to modern society and others; her own weakness is also an important reason. In-hye's fate is different from Young-hye's. She tries to save herself from this "modern despair," but where does the strength come from? If it is said that In-hye did not commit suicide simply because she had a responsibility to her child and because she regarded the past as "just a dream," it would not be convincing enough. How to overcome the weakness of modern people, how to place salvation in the future? The author does not give a clear answer.
What will happen "then"? Are those self-suppressions real? Can we find the courage to continue living?
4.6 / 5 atars
November 5, 2024
[3.0猸怾 饾檱饾櫀 饾櫕饾櫄饾櫆饾櫄饾櫓饾櫀饾櫑饾櫈饾櫀饾櫍饾櫀 es una novela escrita por Han Kang en el a帽o 2007. La obra es perturbadora y compleja, y explora los l铆mites entre el cuerpo y la mente. La historia se centra en Yeong-hye, una mujer aparentemente sumisa y corriente que decide volverse vegetariana despu茅s de tener un extra帽o sue帽o. Su decisi贸n provoca una serie de conflictos familiares y personales que revelan las capas profundas de violencia y opresi贸n en la sociedad surcoreana.
Con una amiga que tambi茅n estudia Literatura decidimos leer este libro ya que la escritora gan贸 este a帽o el Premio Nobel de Literatura y esta era su obra m谩s destacada.
Dir铆a que uno de los puntos que m谩s me ha gustado ha sido la estructura de la obra. Esta se divide en tres partes, cada una de ellas est谩 narrada desde el punto de vista de alguien diferente: su esposo, su cu帽ado y su hermana. A trav茅s de estos personajes, la autora logra explorar c贸mo el rechazo de Yeong-hye a comer carne afecta y desconcierta a quienes la rodean hasta el punto de ir destruyendo cada uno de estos lazos. La novela va ofreciendo poco a poco un retrato sombr铆o de la incomprensi贸n y el rechazo hacia quienes deciden apartarse de las normas sociales.
Tambi茅n, tengo que alabar la pluma de la autora, que es realmente bella, l铆rica e, incluso, evocadora; logra transmitir la angustia y la transformaci贸n psicol贸gica y f铆sica que va experimentando la protagonista. La escritora utiliza el cuerpo de la protagonista como una met谩fora para la libertad y la alienaci贸n, lo que da lugar a momentos visualmente impactantes. Al hacer uso de esta estructura de tres actos, permite que el lector tenga una exploraci贸n en capas del trauma y las relaciones t贸xicas que rodeaban a la joven.听
Sin embargo, esta novela puede resultar desconcertante para algunos lectores y, a decir verdad, yo llegu茅 a ser parte de ese grupo. A lo largo de la historia, me pareci贸 un libro extra帽o y me cost贸 comprender muchas de las im谩genes, s铆mbolos y alegor铆as que parec铆an tener un significado profundo en la transformaci贸n de Yeong-hye. Hace un rato le铆 a un par de expertos explicar algunas alegor铆as de la obra y, a decir verdad, con mi amiga nunca hubi茅semos dado con esas interpretaciones por nuestra propia cuenta. Siento que si dos estudiantes de 煤ltimo semestre de Literatura no lograron dar con ello, a duras penas podr铆a hacerlo un lector normal.听
Adem谩s, el ritmo de la novela tambi茅n es un tema; al inicio, se me hizo bastante lento, me cost贸 poder 鈥渆nganchar鈥� con la obra. Luego, en la segunda parte, me ten铆a completamente atrapada. Finalmente, en la tercera parte, fui perdiendo el inter茅s hasta el punto en el que solo quer铆a terminar y comenzar con una romcom para despejarme un poco. Es una lectura muy simb贸lica en donde tienes que tener tu cabeza constantemente activa para ir captando todo. A pesar de ello, siento que no he podido interpretar cien por ciento bien la imagen del final con el p谩jaro, as铆 que me he sentido bastante frustrada y desalentada. Por ello, no se me ha hecho una novela tan grata de leer y siento que no la he podido disfrutar, la tom茅 m谩s como un libro para analizar y reflexionar.
Finalmente, puedo decir que 饾檱饾櫀 饾櫕饾櫄饾櫆饾櫄饾櫓饾櫀饾櫑饾櫈饾櫀饾櫍饾櫀 es una novela inquietante y 煤nica. La exploraci贸n de temas como la identidad y la rebeli贸n es profunda, pero la narrativa puede volverse demasiado tediosa con tanta simbolog铆a e im谩genes. A pesar de ser una obra literaria con m茅rito, la experiencia de lectura no ha sido del todo grata para m铆. Recomiendo este libro para aquellos que busquen una lectura desafiante y abierta a interpretaciones, pero puede no satisfacer a quienes prefieren una narrativa m谩s ligera y menos simb贸lica.
Con una amiga que tambi茅n estudia Literatura decidimos leer este libro ya que la escritora gan贸 este a帽o el Premio Nobel de Literatura y esta era su obra m谩s destacada.
Dir铆a que uno de los puntos que m谩s me ha gustado ha sido la estructura de la obra. Esta se divide en tres partes, cada una de ellas est谩 narrada desde el punto de vista de alguien diferente: su esposo, su cu帽ado y su hermana. A trav茅s de estos personajes, la autora logra explorar c贸mo el rechazo de Yeong-hye a comer carne afecta y desconcierta a quienes la rodean hasta el punto de ir destruyendo cada uno de estos lazos. La novela va ofreciendo poco a poco un retrato sombr铆o de la incomprensi贸n y el rechazo hacia quienes deciden apartarse de las normas sociales.
Tambi茅n, tengo que alabar la pluma de la autora, que es realmente bella, l铆rica e, incluso, evocadora; logra transmitir la angustia y la transformaci贸n psicol贸gica y f铆sica que va experimentando la protagonista. La escritora utiliza el cuerpo de la protagonista como una met谩fora para la libertad y la alienaci贸n, lo que da lugar a momentos visualmente impactantes. Al hacer uso de esta estructura de tres actos, permite que el lector tenga una exploraci贸n en capas del trauma y las relaciones t贸xicas que rodeaban a la joven.听
Sin embargo, esta novela puede resultar desconcertante para algunos lectores y, a decir verdad, yo llegu茅 a ser parte de ese grupo. A lo largo de la historia, me pareci贸 un libro extra帽o y me cost贸 comprender muchas de las im谩genes, s铆mbolos y alegor铆as que parec铆an tener un significado profundo en la transformaci贸n de Yeong-hye. Hace un rato le铆 a un par de expertos explicar algunas alegor铆as de la obra y, a decir verdad, con mi amiga nunca hubi茅semos dado con esas interpretaciones por nuestra propia cuenta. Siento que si dos estudiantes de 煤ltimo semestre de Literatura no lograron dar con ello, a duras penas podr铆a hacerlo un lector normal.听
Adem谩s, el ritmo de la novela tambi茅n es un tema; al inicio, se me hizo bastante lento, me cost贸 poder 鈥渆nganchar鈥� con la obra. Luego, en la segunda parte, me ten铆a completamente atrapada. Finalmente, en la tercera parte, fui perdiendo el inter茅s hasta el punto en el que solo quer铆a terminar y comenzar con una romcom para despejarme un poco. Es una lectura muy simb贸lica en donde tienes que tener tu cabeza constantemente activa para ir captando todo. A pesar de ello, siento que no he podido interpretar cien por ciento bien la imagen del final con el p谩jaro, as铆 que me he sentido bastante frustrada y desalentada. Por ello, no se me ha hecho una novela tan grata de leer y siento que no la he podido disfrutar, la tom茅 m谩s como un libro para analizar y reflexionar.
Finalmente, puedo decir que 饾檱饾櫀 饾櫕饾櫄饾櫆饾櫄饾櫓饾櫀饾櫑饾櫈饾櫀饾櫍饾櫀 es una novela inquietante y 煤nica. La exploraci贸n de temas como la identidad y la rebeli贸n es profunda, pero la narrativa puede volverse demasiado tediosa con tanta simbolog铆a e im谩genes. A pesar de ser una obra literaria con m茅rito, la experiencia de lectura no ha sido del todo grata para m铆. Recomiendo este libro para aquellos que busquen una lectura desafiante y abierta a interpretaciones, pero puede no satisfacer a quienes prefieren una narrativa m谩s ligera y menos simb贸lica.
February 22, 2024
LA MACCHIA MONGOLICA
Lei, Yeong-hye, fa un sogno. E quella stessa notte, per impulso del sogno, sbarazza frigo e congelatore di qualsiasi presenza animale: carne, pesce, latte, uova, formaggio. Diventa vegana, pi霉 che la vegetariana del titolo. Diventa intransigente. Mangia sempre meno, dimagrisce a dismisura, si nutre di luce (sole) e acqua, come se lei stessa fosse una pianta, come se la sintesi clorofilliana fosse la sua dieta ideale. E, in pratica, smette di dormire: probabilmente si rifiuta di farlo per non ripetere il sogno, che in effetti era piuttosto sanguinolento e impressionante.
Il primo capitolo 猫 visto attraverso gli occhi del marito (in prima persona), uomo ordinario, dozzinale, di quelli che non si vorrebbero sposare. Epper貌, invece, lui si sente superiore a sua moglie. Probabilmente per questo, dopo che lei ha tentato il suicidio 鈥� gesto pi霉 dimostrativo che risolutivo 鈥� e dopo che 猫 stata dimessa dalla clinica psichiatrica, la caccia di casa e divorzia.
Nobuyoshi Araki, qui e sopra.
Il secondo capitolo 猫 visto attraverso gli occhi del marito della sorella di Yeong-hye, anche se raccontato in terza persona. Il cognato 猫 un artista, o, se non altro, tale si sente. E comincia a fantasticare sul corpo della cognata vegana, che gli piacerebbe tanto usare come tela da dipingere. Almeno 猫 quello che crede e che si dice per spiegare l鈥檈rezione che accompagna ogni visione di Yeong-hye, e ogni pensiero sulla macchia mongolica collocata sopra la sua natica sinistra.
Anche il suo matrimonio, come quella della cognata vegana, non funziona. Han Kang lo descrive cos矛:
Cos矛 era la loro relazione negli ultimi tempi: simile a quella di due soci in affari, che evitavano accuratamente ogni argomento superfluo nei loro scambi e avevano un solo interesse comune, il figlio.
Il terzo capitolo, anche questo narrato in terza persona, 猫 attraverso il punto di vista della sorella di Yeong-hye. 脠 rimasta madre single dopo che il marito, il presunto artista, 猫 sparito di casa senza farsi pi霉 sentire. D鈥檃ltronde tenerselo in casa dopo quello che aveva combinato con Yeong-hye non era proprio possibile. 脠 quella che si prende maggiormente cura della sorella vegana.
Ma vegana o vegetariana, a me sembra che Yeong-hye cerchi una purezza per ripulirsi da tutta la sporcizia che il mondo maschile le ha rovesciato addosso. Il suo gesto 猫 forse prima di tutto una ribellione al maschilismo e alla violenza del padre, e del marito, e del mondo in genere.
Daido Moriyama, questa e le due precedenti.
Io sono rimasto particolarmente sorpreso dalla sensazione di muovermi in un mondo conosciuto 鈥� ma mai del tutto esplorato, perch茅 infinite sono le potenzialit脿 dell鈥檃rte 鈥� che non riesco di solito a provare quando leggo letteratura 鈥� o vedo cinema 鈥� che proviene dall鈥檈stremo oriente. C鈥櫭� un senso di riconoscibilit脿 in tutta la vicenda e la sua ambientazione, nonostante si svolga a Seoul e abbia per protagonista una giovane donna dalle scelte esasperate, spinte e protratte ben oltre l鈥檈stremo.
Perci貌, per fortuna nessuna tinta esotica in questo primo incontro con Han Kang: 猫 il dolore della vegetariana, o vegana - umano, molto umano - che colpisce e rimane impresso.
Per concludere, e anche qui sotto, Yayoi Kusama.
Curiosit脿: Han Kang 猫 approdata da noi 鈥� con discreto successo mi pare 鈥� solo dopo essere stata tradotta in inglese. 脠 stato questo passaggio ad aprirle la porta dell鈥檈ditoria italiana. E Adelphi ha deciso di tradurre dall鈥檈dizione statunitense anzich茅 dal coreano, giustificandosi col fatto che la versione inglese risultava particolarmente efficace e limpida anche a detta dell鈥檃utrice, pi霉 elegante persino dell鈥檕riginale
Cos矛 racconta e spiega Vincenzo Latronico nel suo articolo su La Stampa del 26 gennaio 2024 鈥淟鈥檌nglese non traduce l鈥檃ltro mondo鈥�.
Lei, Yeong-hye, fa un sogno. E quella stessa notte, per impulso del sogno, sbarazza frigo e congelatore di qualsiasi presenza animale: carne, pesce, latte, uova, formaggio. Diventa vegana, pi霉 che la vegetariana del titolo. Diventa intransigente. Mangia sempre meno, dimagrisce a dismisura, si nutre di luce (sole) e acqua, come se lei stessa fosse una pianta, come se la sintesi clorofilliana fosse la sua dieta ideale. E, in pratica, smette di dormire: probabilmente si rifiuta di farlo per non ripetere il sogno, che in effetti era piuttosto sanguinolento e impressionante.
Il primo capitolo 猫 visto attraverso gli occhi del marito (in prima persona), uomo ordinario, dozzinale, di quelli che non si vorrebbero sposare. Epper貌, invece, lui si sente superiore a sua moglie. Probabilmente per questo, dopo che lei ha tentato il suicidio 鈥� gesto pi霉 dimostrativo che risolutivo 鈥� e dopo che 猫 stata dimessa dalla clinica psichiatrica, la caccia di casa e divorzia.
Nobuyoshi Araki, qui e sopra.
Il secondo capitolo 猫 visto attraverso gli occhi del marito della sorella di Yeong-hye, anche se raccontato in terza persona. Il cognato 猫 un artista, o, se non altro, tale si sente. E comincia a fantasticare sul corpo della cognata vegana, che gli piacerebbe tanto usare come tela da dipingere. Almeno 猫 quello che crede e che si dice per spiegare l鈥檈rezione che accompagna ogni visione di Yeong-hye, e ogni pensiero sulla macchia mongolica collocata sopra la sua natica sinistra.
Anche il suo matrimonio, come quella della cognata vegana, non funziona. Han Kang lo descrive cos矛:
Cos矛 era la loro relazione negli ultimi tempi: simile a quella di due soci in affari, che evitavano accuratamente ogni argomento superfluo nei loro scambi e avevano un solo interesse comune, il figlio.
Il terzo capitolo, anche questo narrato in terza persona, 猫 attraverso il punto di vista della sorella di Yeong-hye. 脠 rimasta madre single dopo che il marito, il presunto artista, 猫 sparito di casa senza farsi pi霉 sentire. D鈥檃ltronde tenerselo in casa dopo quello che aveva combinato con Yeong-hye non era proprio possibile. 脠 quella che si prende maggiormente cura della sorella vegana.
Ma vegana o vegetariana, a me sembra che Yeong-hye cerchi una purezza per ripulirsi da tutta la sporcizia che il mondo maschile le ha rovesciato addosso. Il suo gesto 猫 forse prima di tutto una ribellione al maschilismo e alla violenza del padre, e del marito, e del mondo in genere.
Daido Moriyama, questa e le due precedenti.
Io sono rimasto particolarmente sorpreso dalla sensazione di muovermi in un mondo conosciuto 鈥� ma mai del tutto esplorato, perch茅 infinite sono le potenzialit脿 dell鈥檃rte 鈥� che non riesco di solito a provare quando leggo letteratura 鈥� o vedo cinema 鈥� che proviene dall鈥檈stremo oriente. C鈥櫭� un senso di riconoscibilit脿 in tutta la vicenda e la sua ambientazione, nonostante si svolga a Seoul e abbia per protagonista una giovane donna dalle scelte esasperate, spinte e protratte ben oltre l鈥檈stremo.
Perci貌, per fortuna nessuna tinta esotica in questo primo incontro con Han Kang: 猫 il dolore della vegetariana, o vegana - umano, molto umano - che colpisce e rimane impresso.
Per concludere, e anche qui sotto, Yayoi Kusama.
Curiosit脿: Han Kang 猫 approdata da noi 鈥� con discreto successo mi pare 鈥� solo dopo essere stata tradotta in inglese. 脠 stato questo passaggio ad aprirle la porta dell鈥檈ditoria italiana. E Adelphi ha deciso di tradurre dall鈥檈dizione statunitense anzich茅 dal coreano, giustificandosi col fatto che la versione inglese risultava particolarmente efficace e limpida anche a detta dell鈥檃utrice, pi霉 elegante persino dell鈥檕riginale
Cos矛 racconta e spiega Vincenzo Latronico nel suo articolo su La Stampa del 26 gennaio 2024 鈥淟鈥檌nglese non traduce l鈥檃ltro mondo鈥�.
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