Soon their attempts turn desperate, subjecting first her mind, and then her body, to ever more intrusive and perverse violations, sending Yeong-hye spiraling into a dangerous, bizarre estrangement, not only from those closest to her, but also from herself.Ĭelebrated by critics around the world, The Vegetarian is a darkly allegorical, Kafka-esque tale of power, obsession, and one woman's struggle to break free from the violence both without and within her. As her husband, her brother-in-law and sister each fight to reassert their control, Yeong-hye obsessively defends the choice that's become sacred to her. It's a small act of independence, but it interrupts her marriage and sets into motion an increasingly grotesque chain of events at home. But the dreams-invasive images of blood and brutality-torture her, driving Yeong-hye to purge her mind and renounce eating meat altogether. "Provocative shocking."- The Washington Postīefore the nightmares began, Yeong-hye and her husband lived an ordinary, controlled life. "Both terrifying and terrific."-Lauren Groff "Ferocious."- The New York Times Book Review (Ten Best Books of the Year) She becomes the focus of his increasingly erotic and unhinged artworks, while spiralling further and further into her fantasies of abandoning her fleshly prison and becoming – impossibly, ecstatically – a tree.įraught, disturbing and beautiful, The Vegetarian is a novel about modern day South Korea, but also a novel about shame, desire and our faltering attempts to understand others, from one imprisoned body to another.Description WINNER OF THE INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE - " Kang viscerally explores the limits of what a human brain and body can endure, and the strange beauty that can be found in even the most extreme forms of renunciation."- Entertainment Weekly She unknowingly captivates her sister’s husband, a video artist. His cruelties drive her towards attempted suicide and hospitalisation. Her passive rebellion manifests in ever more bizarre and frightening forms, leading her bland husband to self-justified acts of sexual sadism. In South Korea, where vegetarianism is almost unheard-of and societal mores are strictly obeyed, Yeong-hye’s decision is a shocking act of subversion. The acceptable flatline of their marriage is interrupted when Yeong-hye, seeking a more ‘plant-like’ existence, decides to become a vegetarian, prompted by grotesque recurring nightmares. He is an office worker with moderate ambitions and mild manners she is an uninspired but dutiful wife. Yeong-hye and her husband are ordinary people.
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