Sunday, February 21, 2016

Book Review - The Vegetarian by Han Kang

Photo Source - Amazon
** May Contain Spoilers **


After a terrifying nightmare, ordinary Yeong-hye and her husband's life get turned upside down. Yeong-hye decides to become a vegetarian against her family's wishes. Her marriage and family life becomes unstable after her act of independence. Her husband, her brother-in-law, and her sister each try to control her life  while Yeong-hye tries defend her choice in life. Will she be able to continue being a vegetarian or will she lose her mind, body and soul in the process?

The story is split into three separate stories told by her husband, her brother-in-law, and her sister. The book is translated and it feels many of nuances were lost in translation causing parts of the story to be very confusing. On a side note, the book is filled with graphic sex scenes, martial rape, and a bit of violence. I wasn't quite fond of the story as the we never got to know Yeong-hye's motives or her side of the story. All the characters were a bit unlikeable and I found it hard to relate to any of the characters. The story left us with more questions than answers. The book is very small and can be read in 3 to 4 hours and definitely not worth the full retail price of $21.

** Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book for my honest review **

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