Comments (56)

What did you think about this title?
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Feb 25, 2024anne_long rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
2023
Jan 19, 2024
Through a spare and bleak writing style, this book goes deep and is dark. It's strange and unsettling but do not be surprised if the main characters' actions, which are rather taboo, feel more acceptable as the book goes on.
Oct 27, 2023mk72lfi6 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Eerie ending! I relate to this woman’s disturbances. A bad dream can have long term affects
Oct 03, 2023plausible rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Difficult to appreciate the tough love illusion and the relentless degrading of women The dysfunction was too much to bear and did not complete
Apr 19, 2023RebBehrens rated this title 1 out of 5 stars
I can appreciate the many difficult matters this book tackles and I always take interest in how other cultures (than my own) perceive and/or express things. However, I found the characters here to be unlikable (though not unsympathetic)…
Apr 18, 2023ekhdong rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Really an easily read difficult book full of perspectives with disturbing elements. I can see why this won the International Booker Prize.
Feb 23, 2023oliversansweet rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
I think the beginning of this novel is incredibly engaging and like one of those stories that is so horrifying that you can't look away, but I stopped reading it about halfway through because I'm not the biggest fan of books degrading…
Feb 15, 2023Lrb0135 rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
It's hard to divorce this book from Hiroko Oyamada's The Hole. They're both Korean works, less focused on a rounded plot and more on a moment-by-moment aggregation of tension and dread. However, The Vegetarian never manages to release its…
Sep 10, 2022kelseyjohe rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
I was really rooting for this story to have some culminating satisfaction at least ONCE… and then it never came. I give it a 3 because of the inability to put it down. be warned It’s pretty graphic at times. TW: sexual assault, eating…
Jun 06, 2022pluto_134340 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
One of my favorite books, I've had trouble getting into back into casual reading again but I couldn't put this book down. It is my go-to read no matter my mood. It is really interesting and engaging. I love how Yeonghye, though she hardly…
Jan 18, 2022IdontwantaUsername_51 rated this title 1.5 out of 5 stars
I always try to finish a book once started. 1.5 rating is being generous. Almost total waste of my time
Sep 07, 2021vampirehelpdesk rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Extremely upsetting and gut-wrenching in the best way. A story of a woman's autonomy being threatened over and over, and not so much about her dietary preferences. Be warned this book has sexual assault and graphic animal abuse, which I…
Jul 06, 2021
Asian read
Dec 29, 2020SaturdayMorning rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
I finished this book in one sitting. While this book may seem short, Kang's writing is effective, elegant in its bare-bones sentences and delivers so many emotions. I admire writers who can deliver much without being superfluous. Her…
Sep 16, 2020
This book was haunting for so many reasons. It was one of those books where you feel off for the entirety. One of the many amazing feats by Kang in this work is creating a medium for so much allegory. This does not have to just be about…
Aug 31, 2020LitHub rated this title 0.5 out of 5 stars
This was a horrifying descent down a very dark road.
Apr 16, 2020JCLMattC rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
I listened to the audiobook, which was pretty well done. A sort of three-section literary exploration of slow-burn body horror. Of course there's much more to it than that.
Feb 08, 2020nrobocop_nwpl rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
An impressive exploration of violence, free will, and bodily autonomy.
Dec 02, 2019ggrailbingham rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Engaging and well written, but definitely a tough read emotionally. I read the white book shortly after this and they pair nicely together.
Aug 07, 2019WoodneathTaylor rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
Horror and literary fiction fans will conjoin with "The Vegetarian". This dark little book explores what would happen if one day you decided to not eat meat as a Korean person. Horror fans will soak up all the terrifying things that one…
Jul 24, 2018ArapahoeJohanna rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Haunting and poetic, this Korean psychological thriller builds on themes of isolation, violence, and control to construct a compelling story in three parts. This book is not for the faint of heart; the author delves deep into people's…
May 04, 2018mclarjh rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Very well written quiet domestic psychological drama.
Mar 11, 2018ranvapa rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
The Vegetarian is a dark, yet beautifully written book about a woman's decline into mental illness. You feel such pity for its protagonist, seeing how she simply withdraws from life. You hope the best for her, yet are left feeling…
Feb 26, 2018
Bloody nightmares convince Yeong-hye to give up meat. This act has repercussions for the entire extended family.
Feb 09, 2018vegandoc rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
I thought the nuances of Book One were well done. I felt interface of the brother-in-law's artistic drive and his life was too artificial. It lacked the reality of either perversion or artistic drive. If it was the combination that…