The Vegetarian
Ratings373
Average rating3.5
This book was so unsettling and graphic that it was almost hard to get through at times. I could barely make it through the sections narrated by her husband and her brother-in-law. It was beautifully written, but what an unbearably sad experience.
Es increíble cómo Han Kang convierte algo tan simple como dejar de comer carne en una exploración brutal de la opresión, la rebeldía y el costo de ser libre. Es algo muy intenso que desde fuera de la cultura coreana no todos podrían captar.
"The Vegetarian" left me in between clarity and confusion that I can’t quite put into words. It's one of those books that makes you question everything—whether you like it or not—and I still find myself uncertain about how I truly feel. But there's something undeniably impactful about it, something that lingers in your mind long after you finish.
At its core, this is the story of Yeong-hye, a woman who decides to give up meat after experiencing a disturbing dream basically want to became a vegetarian. But it's not just about her dietary choice; it spirals into a deeper exploration of identity, family, and personal control. The story is split into three parts, each narrated from the perspective of a different person in her life: her husband, her brother-in-law, and her sister.
The first part, from her husband's point of view, sets the stage. He’s bewildered and disturbed by her sudden decision, and his frustration feels palpable. But it’s the second part, from her brother-in-law’s perspective, that really threw me off. This man, in a way, represents the kind of psychological discomfort that the book seems to instill in its readers. His obsession with Yeong-hye only added to my anxiety, making me feel trapped in his unsettling thoughts. And then, in the third part, we see Yeong-hye from her sister's viewpoint, which brings a touch of clarity, but also more questions.
I can't explain why the book made me feel this way. I’m not sure if I can say I “liked” it, but I can say it made me think—about body autonomy, about how our actions ripple out into the lives of others, and about the complexity of human relationships. It's haunting and uncomfortable, but perhaps that’s exactly the point. The rawness and unpredictability of Yeong-hye's journey left me with a sense of unease I can’t shake, and honestly, I’m not sure if that’s something I appreciate or something I’m still processing.
In the end, this book is not for everyone. It's the kind of read that left meunsettled and questioning what I've just read. I enjoyed it, I can’t deny it made me feel something—though I’m still not sure exactly what that something is.
''Dark woods. No people. The sharp-pointed leaves in the trees, my torn feet. This place, almost remembered, but I'm lost now. Frightened. Cold. Across the frozen ravine, a red barn-like building. Straw matting flapping limp across the door. Roll it up and I'm inside, it's inside. A long bamboo stick strung with great blood-red gashes of meat, there's no end to the meat, and no exit. Blood in my mouth, blood-soaked clothes washed onto my skin.''
A young woman decides to stop eating meat to the dismay of her husband and her parents who refuse to agree to an act that is ‘‘out'' of the established system. The only people who stand by her are her caring sister and her brother-in-law whose motives are extremely controversial. The consequences of her decision will prove a living nightmare in a social circle that discards the different, the ‘‘unnatural''.
“Why, is it such a bad thing to die?”
Han Kang presents a dark, contemporary fable through three POVs corresponding to the three parts of the novel. The first part is narrated by the husband, the second one by her brother-in-law and the final part (the section that makes the story so powerful, in my opinion) is viewed through the reflections of her sister. The young woman is denied a perspective to accentuate her isolation within her social circle that is unable to understand that things have changed. The voices of the three characters are distinct. The husband is a heartless man, her lover is confused and the sister is a compassionate, understanding woman who becomes the sole support to a soul that wants to live by her rules.
“The 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.”
Kang's writing is beautiful, raw and poetic. Even though the heroine doesn't share her thoughts with us, we come to understand her clearly and I deeply sympathised with her. She wants to love according to her choices, to feel loves, to defy a tyrannical father and a pathetic husband. The story is a violent, realistic allegory that has nothing to do with vegetarianism. I couldn't care less about it. For me, what matters is what comes out of our mouths and not what goes in and pseudo-verbal revolutions do not amaze me. I don't buy, sorry.
Kang weaves a tale that is multilayered and powerful. Sensuality, identity, independence, Art, Psychology, Nature, instinct. These are the ingredients of one of the finest books of our times. Han Kang created a contemporary masterpiece. Yes, it's dark and ‘‘strange'' and often hard to stomach. These are the characteristics of the best books. And this is a formidable story of obsession, independence and womanhood and a worthy winner of the Man Booker International Prize.
''Dreams of murder...Murderer of murdered...hazy distinctions, boundaries wearing thin. Familiarity bleeds into strangeness, certainty becomes impossible. Only the violence is vivid enough to stick. A sound, the elasticity of the instant when the metal struck the victim's head...the shadow that crumpled and fell gleams cold in the darkness.''
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This is broke into three sections. The first third of the book really had my interest, I loved it. The second part was tolerable. I hoped that the third part would pull it back together. NOPE! NOT AT ALL! It changes view points, which was confusing. I feel like I read three short stories where the loose ends were never nicely tied. I am very disappointed because I had such high hopes.
I recieved a copy from Blogging For Books.
A truly brutal book told in three distinct parts, from three distinct point of views - none of which belong to the titular and central ‘vegetarian' who the story is technically about. In fact, she's treated horribly throughout by each of the protagonists as barely more than a thing; an accelerant for their own declines.
In reality, though, the story is all at once a deconstruction of (particularly Korean/patriarchal) culture, depression, suicide, mental illness and most common, and perhaps damning, of all - the myriad ways in which we fuck each other up in ill-fitting, toxic relationships that should end considerably sooner than they inevitably do...
In some ways, it's a repeated anti-love story. In others it's an uncomfortable gaze into the depths of depression. Consistently, though, it delivers gut-punch after gut-punch if you've ever lived through any version of the topics covered within - even if they are heightened to extremes.
Es culpa mía por elegir un libro de gente lista según empieza el año pero ✋
La novela sigue la historia de Yeonghye. Tras empezar a tener pesadillas muy realistas y sanguinarias decide volverse vegetariana. La novela sigue, a través de los ojos de distintos familiares, como poco a poco la protagonista se separa de la vida real y se adentra en el mundo natural.
He de decir que me resultó muy difícil de leer. La forma en la que los hombres de su vida hablan de ella, las narraciones de violencia normalizada y el dolor de su hermana en la última parte de la novela me obligaron a tomarme con calma la lectura de este libro.
Es un libro para ir rumiando poco a poco e interesante para discutir con otras personas. De momento si tuviera que poner una valoración diría que ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Y por cierto, ew ew ew ciertas partes
Todo iba bien, hasta que llegas al final... y no hay final. Es como si a la autora le hubiese dado pereza terminar el libro.
This is how shattering a mirror and getting cut by the pieces must feel like. How violent the rejection of violence can feel.
I had placed a library hold on this for several weeks till I finally got my hands on this book. The moment I started this book, I felt discomfort reading it. The characters are not likable or maybe I didn't understand them well. Whatever it was, the fact that this book won the Nobel prize for literature is very surprising to me.
The story is about the main character who wakes up one day from a dream and decides to become a vegetarian. What follows is a surreal story of the character's descent into madness. Where she tries to starve herself to death and soaks in the sun by undressing herself, as if she wants to undergo photosynthesis. The other characters too are very complex and difficult to follow. Their actions and motives are unclear.
The only thing I liked about this book is the writing style and the author's unusual way of narration. I'd have given it 2.25 stars but that extra half star is for effortless writing.
This book will make you feel unpleasant things and if you're looking for something existential to shake up your soul, I'd suggest going for it. If not, avoid reading this altogether.
I have had my share of bleak existential fiction books from Sartre to Kafka and Nietzsche to Camus. But I feel I'm past that phase now to find the idea of death as something fascinating. Will I pick up any other books by Han Kang? Not likely though. Not in the near future.
I don't know how I feel about this. It was beautifully written, but I can't help but feel there was something missing. Was it the translation? I feel like the translator did such an amazing job, tho. Why was the ending so abrupt? What am I missing? I feel like I must be missing something. I enjoyed the first part so much, I loved the first-person narration. It had so much personality and I kind of wish it had stayed in first-person for parts 2 and 3. I don't know, man, I don't know what I think. At times I re-read the same paragraphs 4 times in a row because they were so beautiful I wanted to absorb them, at times I didn't see the point in the story. It was beautifully woven, I admire the way we jumped from one point to the other (mostly, the “time goes by” part got repetitive). But again, what was the point? I can't tell, I'll have to think about it more.
No estoy muy seguro de que acabo de leer.
Al acabar la primera parte pensaba que era una serie de historias cortas, la segunda parte con el artista es la que mas me gusto.
Un libro bastante raro.
La novela es aceptable. No sé si merecía el premio Nobel, porque escribir sobre historias rozando lo porno-tragico no me parece de gran nivel. Yo sí le daría más oportunidad de leer más obras suyas.
Seré muy sincero, no entendí muy bien la obra. Tal vez no tengo la capacidad para entenderla, pero como me mantuvo interesado todo el libro. La forma de escribir es bastante visual y las imágenes que evocaba son a la par maravillosas como terribles. A veces solo queremos ser arboles en medio del bosque, sin matrimonios horribles.
This book made me feel gross and disturbed and I think that was the point. I can’t decide whether I love it or I hate it. I can’t even decide if it’s good or not! So much of this book is written in an abstract way that it’s hard to really pinpoint anything about its plot or its characters. It is firmly a book that aims to elicit emotions first and tell a story second. It is very good at eliciting those emotions and some of the phrasing here is super cool (and translated quite well), but I’m not sure what the point of it is. Maybe it doesn’t have a point, or its point is so grand that it can apply to everything. I think it’s kind of brilliant even if it is incredibly uncomfortable and certainly one of the last books I’d ever choose to reread.
Muy fácil de leer, 3 historias en serie que se unen con las relaciones de cada personaje. Cada persona tiene un mundo que contar.
Middle of the road. I like the hazy, confused atmosphere but sometimes lost interest. I wish the dreams would have played more in the foreground
Why I picked this book? My girlfriend never suggests me a book and out of no where and I knew I had to read it because we hardly talk about books with each other and since she recommended this, I picked it up.
There is a clear influence of Kafka on Kang. Not that it is a bad thing, in fact Kang did a very good job. There's a third person that I need to praise, the translator. She did a fantastic job. The book is beautifully written.
The book has episodes where misogyny is so normalized that you cannot help but think of such similar incidents that might have happened in your life. Do not read this book for a great plot. The plot isn't that of a great one; it is quite mainstream. However, the narrative is the anchor that makes this book stand out.
If ever I would want to write a book, this will be a book that I shall constantly refer to.
Why, is it so bad to die?
This was so eloquently disturbing. It's that kind of book. Slow, creeping, plotless exploration into the minds of 3 people whose lives are interconnected. 3 very different kinds of madness. Very psychologically disquieting.
This is probably not for everyone, but if you like weird, trippy, open-ended horror you might also like this one. This book will not give you answers but will make you think about them.