Cinis
I gotta say, it took me a while to get into it. But around the middle of the book, I got really invested in the story and the characters. The writing is really good and refreshing, with lots of (dark) humor. I also thought the way the author portrayed mental illness was really honest and thoughtful. The characters were flawed and real, which made the story all the more compelling. There were some slow parts but overall, it's a pretty powerful novel that tackles some heavy stuff.
This book felt like a super long read but brought me some extremely valuable insights and mental exercises to pivot towards psychological flexibility.
Weird. Very weird. Disturbing. But also oddly peaceful and mesmerizing. I could picture each scene in my mind like an artistic cinematic experience. Some descriptions and thoughts expressed by the different characters made me pause and reflect deeply on their meaning in my own life. If art is supposed to make you feel something, then “The Vegetarian” is a true literary masterpiece.
I picked up this book having absolutely no idea what it was about, not even the genre. I only knew it was “good” as I'd seen it on several recommendation lists. I guess my not knowing what it was about is what made me somehow enjoy the first third of it. But the last two? It was just... Mehhh. The writing is beautiful, and I liked how it all sounded like a conversation you'd have with the protagonist, like she's telling you about what happened to her and then she'd remember something and would go back in time to tell you a different story etc. But you get quickly bored of this writing style and I'd say even annoyed. The story was good, but not that good. Even the plot twist wasn't a plot twist, once you get there you kind of already know. The rest of the story is very monotonous. I just didn't care for it.
Great insights and advice on how to become a high performer. Now put down the book and actually do it.
“When I had
no friends
I reached inside
my beloved
books
& sculpted some
out of
12 pt
Times new roman.
– & it was almost good enough.”
I love reading the raw thoughts of a person that exposes all contradictory facets of themselves. Susan's worldview is very interesting, but what is even more interesting is the evolution of her thinking through the years and the experiences. This inspired me to journal even more frequently and deeply. I enjoyed the simplicity and the depth.