TY  - BOOK
AU  - Han Kang, 1970-
TI  - The vegetarian: : a novel / Han Kang; translated from Korean by Deborah Smith
SN  - 978-0-553-44818-4
PY  - 2015///
CY  - United States
PB  - Hogarth
KW  - Asian people. Dysfunctional families. East asian people. Families. Family Relationships. Life change events. Metamorphosis. Nightmares. Obsession. Vegetarianism
KW  - South Korea. East Asia
KW  - Novellas. Psychological fiction. Translations
N2  - When ordinary and submissive Yeong-hye becomes a vegetarian, her family treats her decision as both a disease and a betrayal. As they try to control her, their own manners deteriorate, culminating in violence, adultery, and estrangement. Yeong-hye becomes a Bartleby-like figure as her personal choice morphs into other acts of social rebellion, such as being shirtless in public or refusing to ingest anything but water. Korean writer Han Kang’s elegant yet unsettling prose conveys her protagonist’s brother-in-law’s obsessive, art-centered lust; her sister’s tepid, regret-riddled existence; and Yeong-hye’s vivid, disturbing dreams. What is more upsetting is how the characters’ taboo behavior begins to seem reasonable over time, perhaps because they have ignored their desires for so long. Divided into three novellas, The Vegetarian shows how one woman’s step toward independence destroys a family that thrives on oppression and what they consider to be normal. Readers will want more of the author’s shocking portrayals of our innermost doubts, beliefs, and longings. -- Hyzy, Biz (Reviewed 2/15/2016) (Booklist, vol 112, number 12, p28)
ER  -