Elizabeth R. (esjro) - , reviewed on 7/5/2016 + 1003 more book reviews

The Vegetarian tells the story of Yeong-hye, a young South Korean woman who was brought up in a traditional Korean family. She marries a predictably stable but dull man, and seems resigned to a quiet life of cooking and cleaning while her husband works long hours. One night she has a dream, and announces that because of the dream, she will no longer eat meat. This decision causes awkwardness between Yeong-hye and her husband, particularly at social functions, and great friction with her disciplinarian father.

Yeong-hye's conversion to vegetarianism marks the beginning of her descent into madness, and the repercussions alter the lives of her family in unexpected and disturbing ways. The first section of the book focuses on Yeong-hye, while latter sections continue the story chronologically but follow her sister and brother-in-law.

The Vegetarian is beautifully written, particularly considering that this version was translated from the original Korean. It is very dark and depressing so I would not call it enjoyable, but it is affecting. Yeong-hye's story takes place in a culture that is in some ways very different, but in many ways the same in that loneliness, restlessness, and isolation are universal.

Note to anyone such as myself who doesn't care what happens to humans as long as the dog doesn't die: This book does contain a scene of animal cruelty that was quite graphic and disturbed me for some time.

I received a free copy of this book from Amazon in exchange for an honest review.

Back to all reviews by this member
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details