The Vegetarian by Han Kang

Meaty meal to digest

“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.”
― Han Kang,  The Vegetarian.

those who enjoyI admit that when I picked up this title, I was only thinking about food. I knew it wasn’t about food, but I didn’t realise that it just how rich a read it was going to be. I think that is why initially I was conflicted about my reading experience.

The writing was succinct, and evocative, and the narrative slowly led me into the horrors the female Korean protagonist was going through as she refused to eat meat, despite the norm and social requirement to eat it.

What appears to be themes of meat and madness becomes an exploration of authority and defiance (and what happens to those who defy).

This is definitely on my read again list (with a different expectation this time).

If this title intrigues you, check out my reviews on:

Tokyo Ueno Station

The Illustrated Man

Red Lights