THE VEGETARIAN | HAN KING

10 Jul 2020

An inquisitive narrative that evaluates the realities, decisions, dreams, the lifting away of control and repression, the consequences of boundlessness and no limitations.  Han King writes with a poetic assurance that makes you want to turn each page with anticipation. The richness of the plot and the layered nature of the characters really capture a different world.  I found the parts which were italicised (mostly the poetic synesthetic parts of the novel) the most poignant, almost dream-like in rhythm.

The character of Yeong- Hye is striking and unlike any other character I've encountered in texts before.  The ways in which King was able to portray how simultaneously in touch with 'the new becoming', and how out of touch she was with the physical world in terms of family and relationships evokes how complex human connections can be. Yeong-Hye becomes a sole metaphor of evolution, change, the breaking of boundaries, the release from the restrictions of social constructs and expectations. 

Rating 9/10.