![]() ![]() This creates a feeling of voyeurism for the reader, who is constantly looking at Yeong-hye from a distance, as in the following passage: These characters fit more predictably into their society, living quiet lives, eating meat, and maintaining cultural norms. Instead, her husband, brother-in-law, and sister narrate the three parts of the book. The strangest thing about The Vegetarian, however, is that none of the novel is told from Yeong-hye’s perspective. In fact, she’s decided she wants to become a plant, shedding her barbaric humanity for the gentler, more beautiful life of a tree. While Human Acts is a rich, powerful novel in its own right, and should be read independently of The Vegetarian, it is often interesting to situate a novel against the writer’s other work.Īs The Vegetarian progresses, we learn that the central character, Yeong-hye, is not satisfied with simply avoiding meat. Translated by Deborah Smith, The Vegetarian went on to win the 2016 Man Booker International Prize. ![]() This strange, dark, poetic novel, about a woman who decides to stop eating meat after having a horrific nightmare, was met with great acclaim. ![]() ![]() American readers first encountered Kang in 2016, with the translation of her 2007 novel The Vegetarian. First published in South Korea in 2014, Han Kang’s new novel Human Acts is now available for the first time in the United States. ![]()
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