Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

The Vegetarian by Han Kang

16 reviews

seagullsaga's review

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Medical content, Rape, Self harm, Suicide, Animal death, Chronic illness, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Toxic relationship, Violence, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Animal cruelty, Eating disorder, Confinement, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Blood

Minor: Alcohol

emily_lloyd's review

dark tense slow-paced

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

2.0

I went into this book pretty blind and did not realize it’s more of a horror-psychological book. The book contains three narrators describing their sister/wife/SIL downfall into anorexia and schizophrenia. I get the author was trying to write about how humans cannot be innocent being but the book was uncomfortable. Booktok did me dirty with this recommendation 😅 Highly considered DNF, but the book is very short 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Self harm, Rape, Eating disorder, Vomit, Terminal illness, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Classism, Blood, Body horror, and Chronic illness

onthehummingbirds's review

dark reflective tense 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Sexual violence, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Animal cruelty, and Sexual content

Moderate: Misogyny, Blood, Rape, Terminal illness, and Vomit

bugfriend's review

dark emotional sad medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Blood, Body horror, Infidelity, Medical content, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Sexism, Sexual violence, Body shaming, Self harm, Grief, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Misogyny

Moderate: Physical abuse, Vomit, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Child abuse, Animal death, and Abandonment

Minor: Confinement and Alcohol

faithrose16's review against another edition

It is very vivid with the descriptions of animal cruelty in the book

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Excrement, Domestic abuse, Body shaming, Animal cruelty, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Eating disorder, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Gore, Animal death, Self harm, Rape, Gaslighting, Terminal illness, and Emotional abuse

thefearlessfrock's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

This book is extraordinary but I still feel something's missing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Self harm, Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Chronic illness, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Medical content, Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, Suicide attempt, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

It's really heavy.

leonormsousa's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense fast-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

4.5

REPRESENTATION 

Korean cast, mental health 

QUOTE 

“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 unflagging, all her successes 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.” 

WHAT I ENJOYED 

• the violence and weirdness → it took me a little aback at first, but I’m here for it!
• the underlying message (and no, this is not a book about vegetarianism)
• the different POVs allow us to see the story from different perspectives but also contribute to the idea that the MC does not have a voice
• it’s a beautifully written book, even when it’s ugly
• the way it stuck on the back of my head and does not let me go
• I know it’s a book that I’m gonna enjoy even more the second time around

WHAT I DIDN'T ENJOY

• very, very minor but there were points, especially in the dreams sections, where it became a bit confusing for me

READ IF YOU ENJOY

• character-focused books
• a dark, bizarre and disturbing vibe
• unhinged women
• hidden meanings
• different views on life
• non-lovable and flawed characters
• underlying critics of sexist societies

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, Misogyny, Blood, Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, and Sexism

emmalouisereads's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

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

4.25

This is very much a story about trauma. 

It’s horrible. All the men are vile. It’s a deeply unpleasant and depressing read.

Proceed with caution I’d suggest. Check the content warnings.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Self harm, Terminal illness, Medical trauma, Suicide, Emotional abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Gore, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Eating disorder, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Animal death, Physical abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault

jbcrue's review

dark emotional mysterious sad 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Medical content, Sexual content, Suicide, Terminal illness, Chronic illness, Confinement, Physical abuse, Torture, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Blood, Body horror, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Gore, Infidelity, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Self harm, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts

avajessie's review

dark emotional sad medium-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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical trauma, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Rape, Misogyny, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Medical content, and Eating disorder