A thoughtful, incredibly depressing novel about a mentally ill woman's abuse at the hands of her family after she decides to become a vegetarian. Translated from Korean, this novel switches between the vivid and the matter-of-fact masterfully. I was not taken by the literary style, but that may be a side-effect of translation, and the book is undeniably very powerful.

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challenging dark reflective tense medium-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

3.75

The Vegetarian was the 2016 winner. It is a dark and unsettling story set in motion when Yeong-hye decides to stop eating meat. This seeming innocuous decision sets off a chain of events culminating in a mental health crisis for Yeong-hye. The story unfolds in three parts but we never hear from Yeong-hye herself. Instead the sections are told from the perspective of her husband, her brother-in-law and her sister. The writing was beautiful, in a crisp and concise way, rather than being overly long and flowery. It can be read as an extended metaphor looking at the pressure put on women to conform to society’s expectations and to meet the needs of others, the toll this takes on them, and the price that is exacted when they rebel. More literally it is a dark look at a woman’s descent into madness and the lack of care given to her by her family and by institutions which should be helping her. Strange and disturbing, but also gripping.

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dark emotional sad

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.5

The first part of the book was the most interesting. He was an unreliable narrator to me, as he had obvious flaws that he was completely unaware of.
The second part I feel had the best imagery. The artist was focused on his work and I liked how it intertwined with the story.
The third part was...strange.

Spoiler

when she was hospitalized

I mostly checked out. There was a consistent downward spiral and it devolved into almost randomness. The ending was very ambiguous.
I had a personal connection with the main character as I'm vegetarian as well. However, there was a lot more going on with the main character. Definitely an eating disorder and probably psychosis. It's not really made clear.

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