risager reviewed The Vegetarian by Han Kang
Review of 'The Vegetarian' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
I've started rereading it immediately.
Hardcover
English language
Published Sept. 11, 2016 by Hogarth.
The Vegetarian
by Han Kang
admin reviewed The Vegetarian by Han Kang
Review of 'The Vegetarian' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
First: Before my wife turned vegetarian, I'd always thought of her as completely unremarkable in every way.
Last: The look in her eyes is dark and insistent.
bungakumi reviewed The Vegetarian by Han Kang
Review of 'Vegetarian' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Intriguing, brutal, erotic. A good start to begin my immersion into Korean literature. I can't wait to read more from Han Kang.
Cheri reviewed The Vegetarian by Han Kang
Review of 'The Vegetarian' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
I just... I have no idea what to say about this book. Everyone and everything is just so... I want to say messed up but that doesn't come close to enough. There were so many different things going on with the interconnected characters that I wasn't sure who was more screwed up or mentally ill or abusive or misogynistic.
I have to say that I did enjoy (although I'm not sure that's the right word for it) how the sisters' characters were unfolded. I honestly never had any idea where this book was going from one chapter to the next. There haven't been many books that have made me have visceral reactions the way parts of this book did. So there's that. Noticing the various cultural differences was interesting too. It's definitely not a book that can be understood as much while applying American mores.
Would I recommend it? Not …
I just... I have no idea what to say about this book. Everyone and everything is just so... I want to say messed up but that doesn't come close to enough. There were so many different things going on with the interconnected characters that I wasn't sure who was more screwed up or mentally ill or abusive or misogynistic.
I have to say that I did enjoy (although I'm not sure that's the right word for it) how the sisters' characters were unfolded. I honestly never had any idea where this book was going from one chapter to the next. There haven't been many books that have made me have visceral reactions the way parts of this book did. So there's that. Noticing the various cultural differences was interesting too. It's definitely not a book that can be understood as much while applying American mores.
Would I recommend it? Not a blanket recommendation, that's for sure. But if you like reading very dark books about dysfunctional families and mental illness, it could be right up your alley. I'm not sorry that I read it but it was a difficult read nearly all the way through.
Sarah Green reviewed The Vegetarian by Han Kang
Review of 'The Vegetarian' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Within the context of centuries of women's subjugation, the story seems to ask what the point is of having a body you do not get to control. It makes me think of hunger strikes in Abu Graib. The men characters are selfish and entitled, while the titular vegetarian has no voice in the story, but is there to rebel in the only way she can.
