The Vegetarian – Han Kang

This hard-hitting, almost brutal short novel by Korean author Han Kang explores the mores in Korean society and especially how they apply to women. An innocuous decision can cause widespread havoc when it goes against society’s expectations. The story is about Yeong-hye and her decision to buck tradition by turning vegetarian. While to the rest of the world this decision might seem minor enough, Korean society is largely non-vegetarian and this becomes the mirror through which one can see the rigidity and institutions and how they fail the individual. To limit the understanding of the work to the impact of society on women is to limit the work itself.

The language is simple and almost callous in its description – especially when the violence explodes. While Yeong-hye tries to assert her independence and individuality, everyone from her husband to her father is horrified and pushes to suppress her and make her conform. At the same time, her brother-in-law’s sexual obsession with her forms the second part of the story and strips the human essences of lust, love and sex of all trappings and exposes them with brutal honesty. The third part is from Yeong-hye’s sister’s point of view and shows the struggle to come to terms with this collapse.

Sung Wook Park