Yeong-Hye tries to make her peace by turning vegetarian and grounding herself to earth. The Vegetarian is a testament to a woman trying to evade the insecurities, judgements and the injustice she faces as she tries to make her way in this world. We only hear from Yeong-Hye’s POV in bits and pieces, from her conversations and her dreams. For me it felt like a much intense version of Kim-ji-young born in 1982 + a Murakami-ish world. Spanning a period of around 2- 3 years, it can be overwhelming to read without the trigger warnings. Whilst they try to ‘correct’ her, she slips further down. Constantly subduing to the undue pressure, the gender inequalities Yeong-Hye reaches a breaking point and what follows is her turning vegetarian and insomnia to the astonishment of her family and husband. Divided into 3 parts – ‘The Vegetarian’, ‘Mongolian Mark’ and’ Flaming Trees’ narrated by Yeong – Hye’s husband, brother-in-law and sister(In-Hye) respectively describes her gradual spiraling as she turns vegetarian following her haunting dreams.Ĭonnecting the mental health and space with the physical body, Yeong-Hye deterioration initially seems to be following the abuse she has faced in her life. Han Kang’s The Vegetarian translated from Korean by Deborah Smith narrated by Janet Song, Stephen Park sublimely highlights the breakdown of Yeong-Hye and the grotesque aftermath of the same.
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