The Vegetarian is a book that comes well recommended from BookCast co-host Dana Abercrombie. On top of that, author Han Kang has received international praise after winning the Man Booker international award in 2016. I’ve decided to finally tick this one off the list at the top of 2018, a year where I’m determined to fall in love with reading again.
Look out for my review of The Vegetarian towards the end of the month. If you’ve either read it or will be reading it then be sure to let us know what you think using the hashtag #ReditalBookClub.
The Vegetarian by Han Kang Synopsis
A beautiful, unsettling novel about rebellion and taboo, violence and eroticism, and the twisting metamorphosis of a soul
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.
