The Vegetarian by Han Kang

The Vegetarian by Han Kang
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a difficult book to review because there's a lot going on in this novel. It's beautiful but also hideous. It's about control over your body, but also about a lack of control over your mind and body. It's about Korean culture: both the patriarchy and food culture. I also looked up the "May Massacre" which is briefly mentioned in reference to the brother-in-law. I believe the "May Massacre" actually refers to the Gwangju Uprising and not the event by the same name in the Korean War, but correct me if I'm wrong. But I don't think you necessarily need to understand Korean culture to get a lot from the characters and the feelings they experience. This is a short book and I read it in one sitting because it propelled me forward, but I think I could study it a long time and still get more from it.

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