Book Review- The Vegetarian by Han Kang

“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. She had believed in her own inherent goodness, her humanity, and lived accordingly, never causing anyone harm. Her devotion to doing things the right way had been un-flagging, all her success had depended on it, and she would have gone on like that indefinitely. She didn’t understand why, but faced with those decaying buildings and straggling grasses, she was nothing but a child who had never lived.”

This tragic gem begins with a dream.

Let me begin this review with the conclusion: This dark allegorical novel, winner of the 2024 Nobel Prize, is not for the faint-hearted. It carries a trigger warning due to its intense themes of trauma, violence, and repression while providing valuable insights into societal structures and personal struggles.

The Vegetarian is a story in three parts:

Part 1- ‘The Vegetarian’ is narrated in the first person by Yeong-hye’s husband, an uncaring, controlling businessman who feels insulted by his wife’s disobedience. This part shows Yeong-Hye's decision to turn into a vegetarian and her family’s reaction.

Part 2- ‘Mongolian Mark’, sees the point-of-view switch to Yeong-hye’s brother-in-law, this time told in the third person. This part shows the crude arrogance of her brother-in-law in showcasing his dream video project using Yeong-Hye as a canvas.

Part 3- ‘Flaming Trees’, is the final part written from the perspective of Yeong-hye’s sister who is the manager of a cosmetics store, trying to find her way of dealing with the fallout from the family collapse.

Across the three parts, the pages are inked against society’s most inflexible structures—expectations of behaviour, the workings of institutions, the acceptance of the status quo, etc. Our protege is silent throughout the novel, but she is loudly thinking. She becomes this silent presence around which the perspectives of others orbit are shaping her identity based on their projections. Her voice is lost amidst expectations, judgments, and desires. That silence is deafening.

This novel has redefined the meaning of words like sanity, madness, responsible, irresponsible, sensible, insensible etc. The novel made me think on lines like-

1. Is it essential to jeopardise your close relationships (spouse, parents, siblings) to discover your true self?

2. Can freedom and responsibilities coexist together in their essence?

3. Is it possible to attain complete happiness in isolation from others?

4. Do we require a moral code for a peaceful, balanced, and comfortable life?

5. Can we truly afford to be totally authentic?


Do share your insights!