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A review by hydecircus
The Vegetarian by Han Kang
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Wish it had focused on the meat aspect throughout the whole book as hard as it did in the first third but that might be my only major issue and it's one of completely personal taste. I really love the different perspectives the story is told through and the way that the characters' perceptions of each other and the situations taking pace are so distinct from one another's. All three characters view the world and Yeong-hye in entirely different ways and the author (and translator) do a really spectacular job of differentiating their voices. Also a really bold choice to have almost nothing told from Yeong-hye's perspective, so we learn about her solely through what are undoubtedly unreliable and biased narrorators. I wish the ending had been a bit more concrete, but with a story like this I think it would've been difficult.
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Rape, Self harm, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Animal death and Vomit