Jasmine Darwin reviews The Vegetarian 채식주의자 by Han Kang, transl. Deborah Smith
by Han Kang
translated by Deborah Smith
ISBN: 9781846276033
Reviewed by JASMINE DARWIN
Does Eating Meat Make You Squirm? Try Going Without It. No, Really
Set in contemporary South-Korea, The Vegetarian, 채식주의자 written by Han Kang and translated by Deborah Smith, is a gripping novel that follows one woman’s slow descent into insanity as she struggles to come to terms with the threads of her own destiny. Split into three novellas, in the first, The Vegetarian, we watch protagonist Yeong-hye through the eyes of her husband, Mr Cheong, an egotistical, self-serving salaryman who cannot help but gawk at her downfall through a self-pitying eye.
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