Staff Pick
Somewhere between the crossroads of obsession, mental illness, lust, and betrayal, The Vegetarian exists.
When Yeong-hye has a vivid dream that leads her to give up eating meat, she attracts the unwelcome attention of not only her husband but others as well. Her life begins to come undone, and that unraveling leaves much destruction in its wake.
Told in alternating points of view, while trying to account for human nature gone sideways, The Vegetarian is a stunning read. Recommended By Dianah H., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
Winner of the 2016 Man Booker International Prize
ONE OFNEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW'S TOP 10 BOOKS OF 2016
ONE OF PUBLISHERS WEEKLY'S TOP 10 BOOKS OF 2016
ONE OF BUZZFEED'S "24 BEST FICTION BOOKS OF 2016"
ONE OF ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY S BEST BOOKS OF 2016 SO FAR
ONE OF TIME S BEST BOOKS OF 2016 SO FAR
A beautiful, unsettling novel about rebellion and taboo, violence and eroticism, and the twisting metamorphosis of a soul
Before the nightmares began, Yeong-hye and her husband lived an ordinary, controlled life. But the dreams invasive images of blood and brutality torture her, driving Yeong-hye to purge her mind and renounce eating meat altogether. It s a small act of independence, but it interrupts her marriage and sets into motion an increasingly grotesque chain of events at home. As her husband, her brother-in-law and sister each fight to reassert their control, Yeong-hye obsessively defends the choice that s become sacred to her. Soon their attempts turn desperate, subjecting first her mind, and then her body, to ever more intrusive and perverse violations, sending Yeong-hye spiraling into a dangerous, bizarre estrangement, not only from those closest to her, but also from herself.
Celebrated by critics around the world, The Vegetarian is a darkly allegorical, Kafka-esque tale of power, obsession, and one woman s struggle to break free from the violence both without and within her."
Synopsis
Winner of the 2016 Man Booker International Prize
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times Book Review Publisher's Weekly Buzzfeed Entertainment Weekly Time Wall Street Journal Bustle Elle The Economist Slate The Huffington Post The St. Louis Dispatch Electric Literature
A beautiful, unsettling novel about rebellion and taboo, violence and eroticism, and the twisting metamorphosis of a soul
Before the nightmares began, Yeong-hye and her husband lived an ordinary, controlled life. But the dreams invasive images of blood and brutality torture her, driving Yeong-hye to purge her mind and renounce eating meat altogether. It s a small act of independence, but it interrupts her marriage and sets into motion an increasingly grotesque chain of events at home. As her husband, her brother-in-law and sister each fight to reassert their control, Yeong-hye obsessively defends the choice that s become sacred to her. Soon their attempts turn desperate, subjecting first her mind, and then her body, to ever more intrusive and perverse violations, sending Yeong-hye spiraling into a dangerous, bizarre estrangement, not only from those closest to her, but also from herself.
Celebrated by critics around the world, The Vegetarian is a darkly allegorical, Kafka-esque tale of power, obsession, and one woman s struggle to break free from the violence both without and within her.
WINNER, Man Booker International Prize 2016 (with translator Deborah Smith)
Apple "What We're Reading This Week" pick, starting May 24
Entertainment Weekly "Best Books of 2016" selection
Time Magazine "Best Books of 2016" selection
Publishers Weekly - Top Ten Books of 2016
New York Times Book Review - included in "100 Notable Books of 2016"
New York Times Book Review -included in "10 Best Books of 2016"
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Best 50 Books of 2016
BuzzFeed, the 24 Best Fiction Books of 2016
BookPage, 50 Best Books of 2016
NPR's Book Concierge (2016's Great Reads)
Slate, Laura Miller's 10 Favorite Books of 2016
Huffington Post, The 18 Best Fiction Books of 2016"
Synopsis
Winner of the 2016 Man Booker International Prize
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times Book Review - Publisher's Weekly - Buzzfeed - Entertainment Weekly - Time - Wall Street Journal - Bustle - Elle - The Economist - Slate - The Huffington Post - The St. Louis Dispatch - Electric Literature
Featured in the New York Times selection of 15 remarkable books by women that are shaping the way we read and write fiction in the 21st century
A beautiful, unsettling novel about rebellion and taboo, violence and eroticism, and the twisting metamorphosis of a soul
Before the nightmares began, Yeong-hye and her husband lived an ordinary, controlled life. But the dreams--invasive images of blood and brutality--torture her, driving Yeong-hye to purge her mind and renounce eating meat altogether. It's a small act of independence, but it interrupts her marriage and sets into motion an increasingly grotesque chain of events at home. As her husband, her brother-in-law and sister each fight to reassert their control, Yeong-hye obsessively defends the choice that's become sacred to her. Soon their attempts turn desperate, subjecting first her mind, and then her body, to ever more intrusive and perverse violations, sending Yeong-hye spiraling into a dangerous, bizarre estrangement, not only from those closest to her, but also from herself.
Celebrated by critics around the world, The Vegetarian is a darkly allegorical, Kafka-esque tale of power, obsession, and one woman's struggle to break free from the violence both without and within her.
Synopsis
WINNER OF THE INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE - " Han] Kang viscerally explores the limits of what a human brain and body can endure, and the strange beauty that can be found in even the most extreme forms of renunciation."--Entertainment Weekly "Ferocious."--The New York Times Book Review (Ten Best Books of the Year)"Both terrifying and terrific."--Lauren Groff"Provocative and] shocking."--The Washington Post Before the nightmares began, Yeong-hye and her husband lived an ordinary, controlled life. But the dreams--invasive images of blood and brutality--torture her, driving Yeong-hye to purge her mind and renounce eating meat altogether. It's a small act of independence, but it interrupts her marriage and sets into motion an increasingly grotesque chain of events at home. As her husband, her brother-in-law and sister each fight to reassert their control, Yeong-hye obsessively defends the choice that's become sacred to her. Soon their attempts turn desperate, subjecting first her mind, and then her body, to ever more intrusive and perverse violations, sending Yeong-hye spiraling into a dangerous, bizarre estrangement, not only from those closest to her, but also from herself.
Celebrated by critics around the world, The Vegetarian is a darkly allegorical, Kafka-esque tale of power, obsession, and one woman's struggle to break free from the violence both without and within her.
One of the Best Books of the Year--BuzzFeed, Entertainment Weekly, Wall Street Journal, Time, Elle, The Economist, HuffPost, Slate, Bustle, The St. Louis Dispatch, Electric Literature, Publishers Weekly