Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

La vegetariana by Han Kang

307 reviews

sinaprst's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Vomit, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Animal death, Domestic abuse, and Infidelity

tilder's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

A feminist piece about two sisters and the darkness they share. A testament to patriarchal structures within families and the health system, Kang supplies ample commentary on the nuance of mental health treatment. I reccomend this book to someone who needs a jolt back to the present, beautiful prose and sharp horror this book checks all the boxes of modern magical realism. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

itsredandread's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Misogyny, Rape, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Violence and Vomit

michaelion's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

um girl what was that? i guess i kinda get it bc i too once wrote a meaningless story like this before. i too wish to be a flower / tree.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, and Medical content

Moderate: Bullying, Mental illness, Gaslighting, and Classism

Minor: Cannibalism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and War

snarkycrafter's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is Lit Fic, and a very good one at that. But as with all Lit Fic, there are many layers that caused you to critically think and discover the true meaning of the novel. It’s a great book, but not for those who like to have everything spelled out. This book requires you to uncover the meaning of things, the purpose of certain literary choices. It’s not an enjoyable, fluffy read. You will be uncomfortable, you will be confused, you won’t know how you feel sometimes. That’s how I felt, and yet I could not deny that I saw myself in certain things. 

I think it’s a very interesting and compelling commentary on gender, norms and societal expectations (especially for women) in South Korean culture.

“Her calm acceptance of all these things made her seem to him something sacred. Whether human, animal, or plant she could not be called a person…” 

So dehumanizing of women. Only sacred as long as we remain submissive and pliant. 

Her brother in law wants to film her having sex with a man. And is talking about it like it’s a done deal, “if he were to choose a man to have sex with his sister in law it couldn’t be him[self]…” he assumes simply that she’ll be ok with it if he corners her into the situation.

“It’s your body. You can treat it however you please. The only area where you’re free to do just as you like, and even that doesn’t turn out just as you want it.”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Blood, and Medical trauma

thomasina's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Loveable characters? No

1.0

I didn't enjoy it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

olivia_lauren_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark

• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Some will find this to be a disturbing read. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Eating disorder, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Blood and Vomit

doormango's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Forced institutionalization

adrizeuza's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I feel like this book usually draws very extreme reactions, but for me it was okay! Certainly engaging, I kept wanting to pick it up and see where the story was going. Horrible men, and desperate women that have become desensitized to their awful lives and are on the brink of burn out, basically, but written in a way that felt compelling and authentic, instead of phoned in as is the case with a lot of books in a similar vein that have come out in recent years. The last section felt dragged out though. I think overall the main theme (the violence we inflict on each other so casually) was interesting and explored in a very original way (especially for the time), but also a bit superficial and repetitive... I felt like in every scene where I was hoping to have a conclusion drawn that made me go "wow", it just ended abruptly and we switched to another moment.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Infidelity, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, and Medical trauma

christineazopf's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

From a literary perspective this book is challenging and thought provoking. There’s a lot of ways to analyze the text. I would not recommend to someone for a casual read

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail