The Vegetarian | A Review

The Vegetarian by Han Kang

(Paperback, 183 pages)

'The Vegetarian' was the winner of the Man Booker International Prize for 2016 and was translated from the Korean by Deborah Smith. This particular edition, with the red metallic foiling on the cover, is available exclusively from Waterstones and is published by Portobello Books. It also includes an additional short story called 'The Fruit of My Woman' which I won't be reviewing in the post (I haven't included it in the page count above either).

The book follows the life of a married woman called Yeong-hye who suddenly decides to become a vegetarian. This choice is considered to be taboo within the culture she lives in and she is even challenged about it by her family. I think it's best if you go into reading it without knowing too much about the plot itself - but it basically follows the consequences, both physical and mental, of Yeong-hye's choice not to eat meat. Ultimately the novel explores broader themes about the female body, the breaking of conventions as well as mental illness.

There isn't really a traditional beginning, middle and end structure. Instead, the book is split into three perspectives: Yeong-hye's husband, her brother in law and her sister. Consequently, we never really gain an explicit first person narrative from Yeong-hye herself, with the exception of a few short jumbled snippets of her dreams. This means that there is always an element of 'putting together' and 'making sense' of the fragments and point of views. I think how much you'll like this novel will partly depend on how willing you are to read into the symbolism and images within the text. If taken at surface level or in a very literal way you won't gain much from it. Additionally, if you're someone who looks for a plot driven, page turner - this may not be for you. But if you appreciate slower novels that focus on character development which also tackle important issues I think it's worth a read. There's certainly some beautiful passages (which I loved) and there's some very relevant underlying political messages that run throughout regarding women's rights and patriarchy.

I definitely think this book deserves the praise it's received and it will be a book that stays with me for many reasons, but I can see why it's often described as a 'marmite book'. I'd give 'The Vegetarian' 4/5 stars. It's by no means perfect and I did often feel aware of the text being translated, that might just be because I haven't read many translations, but some of the sentences did feel a bit simplified or basic. I also wouldn't say I 'enjoyed' this book, it deals with some dark topics and it's not a comfortable, light hearted reading experience. Regardless of this though, I have great admiration for Han Kang not shying away from writing about unsettling or uncomfortable themes and this is certainly an impactful novel for that reason. For me, the beautiful language alongside these strong themes make it worth the time and effort you have to put into it.

[4/5 Stars]

Laura.