The Vegetarian by Han Kang

If you have read my previous reviews, you know that I lived in South Korea for 4 years. This country is very near and dear to my heart, so I regularly review Korean books (when I can get my hands on them). I definitely wanted to read this book, especially after it won the Booker Prize. The Vegetarian makes a reader go through many emotions. At different points in the story I truly felt horribly sad for the characters and disturbed by the actions of the antagonists. Han Kang delves into such atrocities as physical and sexual abuse to victims that were dealing with mental illness. At one point, one of the antagonists says, "I am actually the victim", and I wanted to be sick.

Do I rate this on making me feel for the realistic problems that characters are going through? Then, a 5/5. Personally, I enjoy much lighter stories and will have a hard time finding someone to find that will enjoy The Vegetarian. For this reason, I am giving the book a 3/5 rating.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.