Service95 Recommends is the home of the books we love and reviews from our contributors. The Vegetarian by Han Kang is the story of Yeong-hye, who is haunted by blood-soaked nightmares, so much so she decides to become a vegetarian – a highly controversial stance in Korean society.
What Michelle Says: “Han Kang’s writing is so haunting, visceral and poetic. The Vegetarian is about a woman named Yeong-hye, who decides to stop eating meat after a violent dream, and how her body and personal life slowly deteriorate thereafter. The story is told from three different perspectives, none of which are Yeong-hye’s, and over that narrative distance, food takes on a menacing, traumatic character.”
What They Say: “Visceral and terrifying, The Vegetarian is a startling reminder of the utter unknowability of another’s mind. Nonetheless, reading it, you will feel it in your flesh: the desire for peace, a plea for safety, for escape from your own inevitable mortality. It is artfully plotted yet reads like a fever dream, sweeping and surreal. It will leave you aching” – Sarah Gerard
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