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The Vegetarian
WINNER OF THE INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE - "[Han] Kang viscerally explores the limits of what a human brain and body can endure, and the strange beauty that can be found in even the most extreme forms of renunciation."--Entertainment Weekly
One of the New York Times's 100 Best Books of the 21st Century "Ferocious."--The New York Times Book Review (Ten Best Books of the Year)
"Both terrifying and terrific."--Lauren Groff
"Provocative [and] shocking."--The Washington Post Before the nightmares began, Yeong-hye and her husband lived an ordinary, controlled life. But the dreams--invasive images of blood and brutality--torture her, driving Yeong-hye to purge her mind and renounce eating meat altogether. It's a small act of independence, but it interrupts her marriage and sets into motion an increasingly grotesque chain of events at home. As her husband, her brother-in-law and sister each fight to reassert their control, Yeong-hye obsessively defends the choice that's become sacred to her. Soon their attempts turn desperate, subjecting first her mind, and then her body, to ever more intrusive and perverse violations, sending Yeong-hye spiraling into a dangerous, bizarre estrangement, not only from those closest to her, but also from herself. Celebrated by critics around the world, The Vegetarian is a darkly allegorical, Kafka-esque tale of power, obsession, and one woman's struggle to break free from the violence both without and within her.
A Best Book of the Year: BuzzFeed, Entertainment Weekly, Wall Street Journal, Time, Elle, The Economist, HuffPost, Slate, Bustle, The St. Louis Dispatch, Electric Literature, Publishers Weekly
One of the New York Times's 100 Best Books of the 21st Century "Ferocious."--The New York Times Book Review (Ten Best Books of the Year)
"Both terrifying and terrific."--Lauren Groff
"Provocative [and] shocking."--The Washington Post Before the nightmares began, Yeong-hye and her husband lived an ordinary, controlled life. But the dreams--invasive images of blood and brutality--torture her, driving Yeong-hye to purge her mind and renounce eating meat altogether. It's a small act of independence, but it interrupts her marriage and sets into motion an increasingly grotesque chain of events at home. As her husband, her brother-in-law and sister each fight to reassert their control, Yeong-hye obsessively defends the choice that's become sacred to her. Soon their attempts turn desperate, subjecting first her mind, and then her body, to ever more intrusive and perverse violations, sending Yeong-hye spiraling into a dangerous, bizarre estrangement, not only from those closest to her, but also from herself. Celebrated by critics around the world, The Vegetarian is a darkly allegorical, Kafka-esque tale of power, obsession, and one woman's struggle to break free from the violence both without and within her.
A Best Book of the Year: BuzzFeed, Entertainment Weekly, Wall Street Journal, Time, Elle, The Economist, HuffPost, Slate, Bustle, The St. Louis Dispatch, Electric Literature, Publishers Weekly
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Community Reviews
Some books include graphic scenes for shock value, while others have an intrinsic need to be graphic; 'The Vegetarian' seemed to belong to the latter category for me. The narrative was visceral, unsettling, and quite direct in certain aspects, but the most notable aspect for me was how Kang drastically contradicted Yeong-joo and her brother-in-law's breaking of social conventions. Although the narrative is thematically rich and eye-catching, the third section can feel a little disjointed from the two earlier ones, although Yeong-joo's sister's radical change in personality and her increased understanding towards Yeong-joo's situation was something that I appreciated a lot.
3.5/5
3.5/5
The main thought I had while reading this book was âmen suckâ. Iâm going to stand by that as one of the main themes. I did really enjoy this, but I donât know that I would have picked it up on my own. I donât know that I will recommend it. Itâll stay with me for a while and it definitely made me think, but I think Iâll be cautious about who I suggest it to.
It took me a lot longer to finish this book then I thought it would, because I found it so confusing. The plot itself is easy to follow but I questioned what was the purpose/message of the book at the end of it. It felt like the author was trying to say something with this book but it was not clear at all.
a bit out of the box, but thrilling. i always was dying to find out how the story would progress. all of the characters & plot points were unsettling. i wish more explanation wa sgiven as to what was really going on with yeong-hye.
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