Fiction

The Vegetarian

The Vegetarian

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-03-27 14:16:08
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Han Kang
  • ISBN：1846276039
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Summary

Yeong-hye and her husband are ordinary people。 He is an office worker with moderate ambitions and mild manners; she is an uninspired but dutiful wife。 The acceptable flatline of their marriage is interrupted when Yeong-hye， seeking a more 'plant-like' existence， decides to become a vegetarian， prompted by grotesque recurring nightmares。 In South Korea， where vegetarianism is almost unheard-of and societal mores are strictly obeyed， Yeong-hye's decision is a shocking act of subversion。 Her passive rebellion manifests in ever more bizarre and frightening forms， leading her bland husband to self-justified acts of sexual sadism。 His cruelties drive her towards attempted suicide and hospitalisation。 She unknowingly captivates her sister's husband， a video artist。 She becomes the focus of his increasingly erotic and unhinged artworks， while spiralling further and further into her fantasies of abandoning her fleshly prison and becoming - impossibly， ecstatically - a tree。

Fraught， disturbing and beautiful， The Vegetarian is a novel about modern day South Korea， but also a novel about shame， desire and our faltering attempts to understand others， from one imprisoned body to another。

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Reviews

Adriana ，

Perturbador， oscuro y revelador de una sociedad retorcida。 Me encantó。

Edward Young ，

"The Metamorphosis" meets "The Edible Woman" meets "Bartleby， the Scrivener" meets Han Kang's own unique vision。 "The Metamorphosis" meets "The Edible Woman" meets "Bartleby， the Scrivener" meets Han Kang's own unique vision。 。。。more

Aleksandra ，

"szaleńcza próba oswobodzenia się z człowieczeństwa" "szaleńcza próba oswobodzenia się z człowieczeństwa" 。。。more

Caro ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I study English Literature and I constantly read American or British authors。 I don't mind reading authors from the anglosphere; there are a lot of books that I adore and recommend。 However， I'm bored of reading books and texts from the same cultural areas and I decided to give authors from other countries/cultures a try。 A professor made a Twitter thread on female writers and Han Kang showed up。 I have never read Korean Literature and I thought I could start reading Contemporary Korean Literatu I study English Literature and I constantly read American or British authors。 I don't mind reading authors from the anglosphere; there are a lot of books that I adore and recommend。 However， I'm bored of reading books and texts from the same cultural areas and I decided to give authors from other countries/cultures a try。 A professor made a Twitter thread on female writers and Han Kang showed up。 I have never read Korean Literature and I thought I could start reading Contemporary Korean Literature with Han Kang's The Vegetarian。 In addition， I was thrilled about the topic （vegetarianism）， so I had great expectations with Kang's novel。I must say， what a book。 It's horrific in certain ways， and as someone who isn't vegetarian yet but has had issues with food and eating， I felt reflected on the vegetarian woman， and how isolated she was from the other characters。 The story set in motion because of the character's vegetarianism but I think the major motif of the story is the life of solitude of all the characters and how or why they are incapable of fully understanding others。 It's an open feminist book， and it doesn't have any problem showing the relation between animal consumption and violence towards women。 If you want to start reading Korean literature， Han Kang's The Vegetarian is an excellent starting point and you will be mesmerized by her raw， human characters and stories。 。。。more

Bilel Azzez ，

It's very well written， but I am confused， which is ultimately is a good sign。I enjoyed the different pacing that each chapter had， but I couldn't relate to the story， nor some of the parallelisms， especially in the 3rd chapter。 You can say it's a critique so 21st century South Korean society。。。 Only if you look very closely and keep in mind the socio-cultural part of the country。Interesting read。 It's very well written， but I am confused， which is ultimately is a good sign。I enjoyed the different pacing that each chapter had， but I couldn't relate to the story， nor some of the parallelisms， especially in the 3rd chapter。 You can say it's a critique so 21st century South Korean society。。。 Only if you look very closely and keep in mind the socio-cultural part of the country。Interesting read。 。。。more

Ari ，

This book disagreed with me in several ways。 It took a long time for it to settle into a character perspective where I was comfortable enough。 Two-thirds of the novel were told from the point of view of skeevy and disgusting men who casually rape their wives and leer over the women they covet。 As I was reading these leering passages， I became hyper aware of my own body， which was an extremely unpleasant sensation。 There seemed to be a bit of romanticization of eating disorders （descriptions of Y This book disagreed with me in several ways。 It took a long time for it to settle into a character perspective where I was comfortable enough。 Two-thirds of the novel were told from the point of view of skeevy and disgusting men who casually rape their wives and leer over the women they covet。 As I was reading these leering passages， I became hyper aware of my own body， which was an extremely unpleasant sensation。 There seemed to be a bit of romanticization of eating disorders （descriptions of Yeong-hye's frail body along with her desire to turn into a tree， or return to nature， as if she's some sickly wood nymph）， even though I think the Kang's statement on mental health and bodily autonomy is ultimately earned。 I hated the translation。 I could tell the writing was good， but every once in a while， some extremely British word would pop out like "knickers" or even "mummy。" They're Korean！ Why couldn't the translator have used "umma"？ It has the effect where one minute I picture the characters in a cityscape in Korea and suddenly they've popped over to the pubby for a proper chat with their mates。 Why？？？ So in the end it was objectively not a bad book。 Skillfully written and well realized， but ultimately too traumatic for it to be my thing。 。。。more

Marta Marecka ，

Ja nie wiem do końca， co to było， ale wiem， że mnie zahipnotyzowało i że trudno mi się było oderwać od tej książki。

Arbuz Dumbledore ，

Wstrząsająca， oniryczna， dziwaczna。 Przepiękna i poruszająca。 Absolutnie niesamowita。 Nie wiem， co więcej powiedzieć。 To jest właśnie tego rodzaju książka - o której nie wiadomo， co powiedzieć。 Która odejmuje mowę。 Staram się napisać coś o moich uczuciach， których doświadczyłam ogrom， o tym， jak szokująco doskonała jest ta książka， ale。。。 Mam pustkę w głowie。 Chyba muszę zostać z jej wspomnieniem przez chwilę， zanim powiem coś więcej。 Albo nigdy nie będę w stanie napisać czegoś sensownego。 Nie w Wstrząsająca， oniryczna， dziwaczna。 Przepiękna i poruszająca。 Absolutnie niesamowita。 Nie wiem， co więcej powiedzieć。 To jest właśnie tego rodzaju książka - o której nie wiadomo， co powiedzieć。 Która odejmuje mowę。 Staram się napisać coś o moich uczuciach， których doświadczyłam ogrom， o tym， jak szokująco doskonała jest ta książka， ale。。。 Mam pustkę w głowie。 Chyba muszę zostać z jej wspomnieniem przez chwilę， zanim powiem coś więcej。 Albo nigdy nie będę w stanie napisać czegoś sensownego。 Nie wiem。 Wiem tylko tyle， że kocham tę książkę。 。。。more

Phoebe Atkinson ，

Super weird。 Well-written but I am left very confused。。。 3 stars but they are 3 confused stars。

Elvis Rodrigues ，

Yeonghye tem pesadelos envolvendo sangue e corpos e decide parar de comer carne， para desespero de seu marido， de seus pais， irmãos e cunhados， que não conseguem compreender essa decisão e começam a achar outras atitudes da garota estranhas。A Vegetariana é um livro bem difícil de enquadrar em gêneros。 Tem uma pegada de horror， tem momentos em que parece que vai ter uma fantasia ali， talvez até desse para discutir se não seria new weird， mas no fundo meio que é um drama mesmo。 Há uma certa dificu Yeonghye tem pesadelos envolvendo sangue e corpos e decide parar de comer carne， para desespero de seu marido， de seus pais， irmãos e cunhados， que não conseguem compreender essa decisão e começam a achar outras atitudes da garota estranhas。A Vegetariana é um livro bem difícil de enquadrar em gêneros。 Tem uma pegada de horror， tem momentos em que parece que vai ter uma fantasia ali， talvez até desse para discutir se não seria new weird， mas no fundo meio que é um drama mesmo。 Há uma certa dificuldade na leitura porque foram três contos escritos separadamente e depois reunidos num livro。 Os três são sobre Yeonghye， mas sempre sobre o enfoque de outro personagem: primeiro o marido， depois o cunhado e por fim a irmã。 Então há uma grande diferença nas vozes narrativas dos três， nos estilos， o que acaba tornando a experiência mais complexa， mas não deixa de ser um mérito da autora， que consegue escrever em estilos bem distintos。Dos três personagens narradores， só a irmã não chega a ser odiável。 O marido e o cunhado são horríveis。 Mas a voz de narração da segunda parte é a mais fascinante， apesar de nos colocar na mente de uma pessoa sem escrúpulos。 Minha maior tristeza com a obra é não saber muito bem o que pensa a personagem-título。 No primeiro capítulo temos alguns relances de seus sonhos， um recurso abandonado nos demais。 Eu queria muito enxergar a ótica dela， porque ela me parece uma vítima de tudo。Então， apesar de ter gostado da experiência， acho que ficou faltando uma maior coesão entre as partes， que realmente funcionam praticamente como contos， embora no fundo contem etapas diferentes da mesma história。 。。。more

Dodo ，

szybko poszło （ocenę może później zmienię， ale póki co jestem bardzo na tak）

Kulinska。Maja ，

Na okładce książki została umieszczona opinia Lauren Groff: "Przerażająca i wspaniała zarazem"。 Bardziej trafnie nie da się jej opisać。 Brak słów。 Dziękuję。 Na okładce książki została umieszczona opinia Lauren Groff: "Przerażająca i wspaniała zarazem"。 Bardziej trafnie nie da się jej opisać。 Brak słów。 Dziękuję。 。。。more

Andrea ，

Tremendo。 Excepcional。 Sin palabras。

Ronah ，

This is not that typical vegetarianism book。 It's more than that。 At first it sounds like a weird novel coz of that 'dream' and it made the clearest sense in the last part。 It speaks a lot bout the culture in Korea。 It seems like her father was against her conversion not because of vegetarianism itself but he sees it as an act of rebellion - which is totally not tolerable in east countries。 It sums up different perspectives in a way you would know just how deep their whole being is and how cruci This is not that typical vegetarianism book。 It's more than that。 At first it sounds like a weird novel coz of that 'dream' and it made the clearest sense in the last part。 It speaks a lot bout the culture in Korea。 It seems like her father was against her conversion not because of vegetarianism itself but he sees it as an act of rebellion - which is totally not tolerable in east countries。 It sums up different perspectives in a way you would know just how deep their whole being is and how crucial it is - suicidal thoughts and attempts。 Grotesque and meaningful。 。。。more

Juliana Guimarães ，

O livro é composto por três capítulos e， em cada um， uma pessoa próxima à personagem principal relata a decisão dela de se tornar vegetariana。 A personagem principal mesmo não fala， não conta a sua história。 Apenas os três - irmã， marido e cunhado - falam。 É muito interessante e surpreendente！

gaia ，

inhye's pov could have been shorter in my opinion， but overrall i liked this book。 it seems that when things don't really make sense in a straightforward way i enjoy it even more inhye's pov could have been shorter in my opinion， but overrall i liked this book。 it seems that when things don't really make sense in a straightforward way i enjoy it even more 。。。more

Sengul Soytas ，

Its an eerie story of a young woman who turns vegeterian overnight after seeing a dream。 The content of the dream is never mentioned in the narrative 。The author focuses on the reactions of the woman's immediate family about her decision ， and her psychology。 The writer's unique style in story telling makes it an interesting read。 Its an eerie story of a young woman who turns vegeterian overnight after seeing a dream。 The content of the dream is never mentioned in the narrative 。The author focuses on the reactions of the woman's immediate family about her decision ， and her psychology。 The writer's unique style in story telling makes it an interesting read。 。。。more

Moth ，

Hmm as I was reading the first two sections I thought I would give the book a 3/5， then I was set at 4/5 after I finished it， but now （an hour later）。。 it's a full score from me， actually。The back of my copy says this is a book about eroticism （and the female body）， but the only 'eroticism' I notice is the depiction of male objectification of women - even women's suffering and illness - with no regard for women's humanity。 Han Kang nails this aspect。 The first two POV sections are nauseating to Hmm as I was reading the first two sections I thought I would give the book a 3/5， then I was set at 4/5 after I finished it， but now （an hour later）。。 it's a full score from me， actually。The back of my copy says this is a book about eroticism （and the female body）， but the only 'eroticism' I notice is the depiction of male objectification of women - even women's suffering and illness - with no regard for women's humanity。 Han Kang nails this aspect。 The first two POV sections are nauseating to read。 I think those sections were also what struck some readers as glorification of mental illness and disordered eating， but would it not be equally logical to be disturbed by how Yeong-hye is perceived by her husband and brother-in-law？ The two men， both of whom are rapists， surely aren't objective narrators。In-hye's POV section is excellent。 I honestly didn't think Han Kang was going to pull through as well as she did。 I want to add more but it feels too personal， so I'll just say that Han Kang's work accomplishes the goal of exploring what it means to be human painfully well。 。。。more

Kelsey ，

1。5 stars。 Ugh。

Neelima ，

Extremely unsettling。 The vegetarian rakes the primal in us often buried for the sake of civility。 It flirts with the idea of freedom in its true， primal form。

Rosy Ngo ，

Người Ăn Chay （The Vegetarian） của Han Kang theo mình xứng đáng được trọn ven 5* của GR。 Tuy nhiên， mình vẫn tin rằng Han Kang， với tài năng và sự thấu cảm của cô ấy còn làm được nhiều hơn thế。 Mình sẽ dành 5* cho cuốn （những） cuốn sách xuất sắc hơn của cô ấy。 Người Ăn Chay gồm bộ 3 truyện ngắn về người thân của nhân vật chính （the vegetarian）。 Về hành trình họ đã trải qua khi có vợ， em vợ， em gái mình có những biến đổi mạnh mẽ cả về thể chất lẫn tinh thần khi cô trải qua những giấc mơ và bắt đầ Người Ăn Chay （The Vegetarian） của Han Kang theo mình xứng đáng được trọn ven 5* của GR。 Tuy nhiên， mình vẫn tin rằng Han Kang， với tài năng và sự thấu cảm của cô ấy còn làm được nhiều hơn thế。 Mình sẽ dành 5* cho cuốn （những） cuốn sách xuất sắc hơn của cô ấy。 Người Ăn Chay gồm bộ 3 truyện ngắn về người thân của nhân vật chính （the vegetarian）。 Về hành trình họ đã trải qua khi có vợ， em vợ， em gái mình có những biến đổi mạnh mẽ cả về thể chất lẫn tinh thần khi cô trải qua những giấc mơ và bắt đầu ăn chay。 Chung quy lại， những vấn đề của họ không hoàn toàn vì người ăn chay mà nảy nở， chúng đã tồn tại sẵn ở đó， trong con người và tâm trí của họ， chúng chỉ chực chờ một cơ hội nào đó để được bung ta， phá hủy， hoặc là cứu rỗi tâm hồn họ。 Qua người ăn chay， mình ấn tượng với cách miêu tả tâm lý sâu sắc đến xuất sắc của Han Kang。 Cho dù họ là đàn ông hay đàn bà， bất kể độ tuổi， cô cũng đều có cách để giải phẫu tâm lý， cảm xúc của họ một cách hoàn chỉnh。 Trình độ này mình chỉ từng thấy ở Tolstoy， Nabokov hay Dostoyevski。 Mình thực sự ngả mũ thán phục Han Kang và càng thêm mong chờ các tác phẩm của cô ấy。 。。。more

Ripu ，

It's beyond literature。 It's a piece of art， both terrific and terrifying。 It's beyond literature。 It's a piece of art， both terrific and terrifying。 。。。more

Camila Ortiz ，

Então， não sei。 Tipo， tá， beleza， mas， sabe。。。？ Quiçá。。。 Uhmm。。。 Mas é， ok。Apesar de todos os apesar eu acredito veementemente que teve coisas que se perderam na tradução。 Eu gosto de viajar por obras do oriente， todavia é inegável a barreira cultural e as lacunas provenientes disso。 A distância entre as leituras sobre a vida， cotidiano e até mesmo a maneira de transmitir ideias afeta a minha percepção sobre diversas obras assim como a maneira que eu absorvo certas coisas。 Não foi uma experiênci Então， não sei。 Tipo， tá， beleza， mas， sabe。。。？ Quiçá。。。 Uhmm。。。 Mas é， ok。Apesar de todos os apesar eu acredito veementemente que teve coisas que se perderam na tradução。 Eu gosto de viajar por obras do oriente， todavia é inegável a barreira cultural e as lacunas provenientes disso。 A distância entre as leituras sobre a vida， cotidiano e até mesmo a maneira de transmitir ideias afeta a minha percepção sobre diversas obras assim como a maneira que eu absorvo certas coisas。 Não foi uma experiência ruim， fluiu tão bem que li o livro inteiro em menos de 7h， mas se alguém me pedir pra explicar， vishhhhh 。。。more

Tina Hu ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 When I checked this book out at the library， the clerk had said "this book is disturbing" so I went in with low expectations as to not have it hyped too much。 An interesting commentary on expectations and roles of women in Korean society and use of an extreme example of what happens when you don't obey to the expectations and the consequences。 Def a weird book and worth reading。 Ps。 This book isn't really about being vegetarian but it is used as an analogy。 When I checked this book out at the library， the clerk had said "this book is disturbing" so I went in with low expectations as to not have it hyped too much。 An interesting commentary on expectations and roles of women in Korean society and use of an extreme example of what happens when you don't obey to the expectations and the consequences。 Def a weird book and worth reading。 Ps。 This book isn't really about being vegetarian but it is used as an analogy。 。。。more

Nelson Zagalo ，

As palavras não saem。 Deixei passar alguns dias e mesmo assim escrevo e apago， escrevo e apago。。。 Li-o muito rapidamente， não conseguia parar， queria saber o que aconteceria a seguir， mais do que isso， queria saber porquê， e porquê， e novamente porquê。 Mas a autora não responde， lança algumas pistas para o ar， mas não se fixa nelas。 No final， voltamos ao ponto de partida， só que não， porque a impressão é forte e dificilmente nos deixa。 "A Vegetariana" é um livro de 2007， escrito pela autora sul- As palavras não saem。 Deixei passar alguns dias e mesmo assim escrevo e apago， escrevo e apago。。。 Li-o muito rapidamente， não conseguia parar， queria saber o que aconteceria a seguir， mais do que isso， queria saber porquê， e porquê， e novamente porquê。 Mas a autora não responde， lança algumas pistas para o ar， mas não se fixa nelas。 No final， voltamos ao ponto de partida， só que não， porque a impressão é forte e dificilmente nos deixa。 "A Vegetariana" é um livro de 2007， escrito pela autora sul-coreana， Han Kang。Mas este não é um livro sobre vegetarianismo， o seu foco aproxima-se， ainda que lateralmente， por via da dieta， mas não importa aqui o tipo de dieta。 Para quem já realizou dietas e teve resultados aprazíveis， conhece o "poder" inebriante que se oferece à pessoa。 Não é uma questão de emagrecimento， está muito para além disso， é controlo， controlo total da mente sobre o desejo do corpo， um controlo derradeiro e alimentado continuamente por uma motivação intrínseca。 Talvez， em certa medida， seja esse poder que explique a origem da anorexia que é uma patologia psicológica com muitos milénios。 Aliás， agora que escrevo estas palavras， questiono-me se o livro não se terá chamado Vegetariana em vez de Anoréxica apenas por razões de marketing， já que um é um modo de vida， e o outro uma doença。No entretanto， e por debaixo de todas as sensações fortes， Han Kang vai tecendo um conjunto de análises e crítica profunda à sociedade sul-coreana， nomeadamente ao seu conservadorismo machista。 O marido apesar de ignorar totalmente a mulher com que casou， não deixa de a controlar e obrigar。 Já o pai， da geração anterior， vai mais longe， optando por dobrá-la pela força。 No meio desse mundo rígido， feito de regras e condutas que constroem verdadeiras prisões comportamentais， resta a liberdade sobre si própria。O livro apresenta três momentos， no segundo dá-se um desvio pela arte， mas a autora usa-a aqui para demonstrar que mesmo essa， tida como o último reduto existencial pela força dos seus argumentos criativos， é mero artifício humano， incapaz de dar conta da força da natureza。。。A autora parece assim querer mostrar o efeito sentido por alguém que pela primeira vez toma as rédeas de si， num sentido absoluto， sentindo-se a ganhar controlo， agência completa de si， e que segundo os efeitos descritos， sente um efeito quase alucinogénico， tal qual o efeito de uma droga poderosa， fomentado por um inebriante sentimento de liberdade interior。 E dessa forma。。。 a narradora torna-se mente apenas， pelo controlo pleno e sem limitações providenciado pelo descartar do corpo。。。Não sei se o livro pretende passar alguma mensagem， porque vai muito além do mero niilismo， pode-se dizer que existe aqui uma apologia do suicídio， ainda que Kang não doure nunca as suas causas nem efeitos。Publicado no VI:https://virtual-illusion。blogspot。com。。。 。。。more

Jamille ，

Um livro que， a princípio， parece tratar sobre vegetarianismo na verdade aborda questões muito mais surpreendentes。 Desde a submissão da mulher， rigidez da estrutura social， patriarcado na coreia （mas acho que seria possível ampliar essa visão para muitos países que mantem a mulher como uma moeda de troca do pai para o futuro esposo）， violência social， questões mentais。 O que acontece com uma mulher quando ela opta por não seguir a regra da sociedade， da família， do marido， mas sim do que ela se Um livro que， a princípio， parece tratar sobre vegetarianismo na verdade aborda questões muito mais surpreendentes。 Desde a submissão da mulher， rigidez da estrutura social， patriarcado na coreia （mas acho que seria possível ampliar essa visão para muitos países que mantem a mulher como uma moeda de troca do pai para o futuro esposo）， violência social， questões mentais。 O que acontece com uma mulher quando ela opta por não seguir a regra da sociedade， da família， do marido， mas sim do que ela sente？ Talvez o livro possa dar um vislumbre das diferentes formas com que a mulher oriental é silenciada。 。。。more

A menina que comia livros ，

A sinopse já diz muito。 Mas não dá a dimensão da profundidade do livro。 A decisão da protagonista de não comer mais carne desencadeia uma série de acontecimentos inimagináveis。 Pesado。 Excelente leitura。

Luiza ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Não consegui passar da página 45。 Violência e estupro e crueldade animal。 Não é pra mim。

Sandra ，

Daję 2 chyba tylko dlatego， że bardzo szybko się czytało

Ania Chojowska-Szymańska ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 To jest bardzo ważna， dobrze napisana i emocjonująca książka。 Dlatego o niej będzie długo。 Chcę zacząć od tego， że po przeczytaniu tej książki zaczęła mnie dziwić treść większości jej opisów krążących po necie。 Żaden z tych， na które się dotąd natknęłam， nie powiedział mi， o czym właściwie jest „Wegetarianka” - taka powieść tabu。Dla mnie to książka o zwykłym， doskonale nam znanym （mimo że akcja toczy się w Korei） przemocowym społeczeństwie， którego mechanizm funkcjonowania został wzięty pod lupę To jest bardzo ważna， dobrze napisana i emocjonująca książka。 Dlatego o niej będzie długo。 Chcę zacząć od tego， że po przeczytaniu tej książki zaczęła mnie dziwić treść większości jej opisów krążących po necie。 Żaden z tych， na które się dotąd natknęłam， nie powiedział mi， o czym właściwie jest „Wegetarianka” - taka powieść tabu。Dla mnie to książka o zwykłym， doskonale nam znanym （mimo że akcja toczy się w Korei） przemocowym społeczeństwie， którego mechanizm funkcjonowania został wzięty pod lupę i pokazany w kilku znakomitych， do bólu trafnych zbliżeniach。 Mamy tu społeczeństwo na zaawansowanym etapie rozwoju。 Zamożne， umożliwiające pięcie się w kierunku pożądanego awansu i sukcesów。 Praca w korporacji， realizacja przynoszących zysk projektów， kolacje biznesowe z managementem， większe mieszkanie， własny sklep z kosmetykami， świetnie wyposażone pracownie artystyczne， uczestniczenie w tworzeniu kultury。 A pomiędzy tym wszystkim rodzinne spotkania i coraz bliżej pokazywana sieć rodzinnych relacji。 Im bliżej， tym bardziej przerażająco。Pod powierzchnią dobrze znanego nam blichtru klasy średniej i zwykłych społecznych zachowań kryją się trybiki odpowiedzialne za działanie tego wszystkiego。 A zatem rozpasany patriarchalizm spychający kobiety w otchłań cichego cierpienia， na pozycję ofiar mniej lub bardziej wyrafinowanego - i ciągle akceptowanego społecznie！ - okrucieństwa。 Nieodpowiedzialność， zdziecinnienie i skrajny egocentryzm mężczyzn。 Brak głębszych， mających znaczenie relacji。 Członkowie rodziny， dla których niemożliwy do wykonania staje się jakikolwiek gest wsparcia。 Niemożliwe jest posłuchanie drugiej osoby， próba jej zrozumienia albo choćby zaakceptowania bez rozumienia motywów jej działania。 Niemożliwe przytulenie。 Danie przestrzeni。 Zwykłe towarzyszenie。 W tak urządzonym świecie ani trochę nie dziwi zapaść w chorobę duszy i ciała。 Ucieczka w mętną otchłań własnego wnętrza， kiedy fizycznie nie ma już gdzie uciec。 Jest naturalną konsekwencją doświadczonej w dzieciństwie i doświadczanej nadal potwornej przemocy。 Autorka niczym zoomem przybliża kolejne kręgi i poziomy ukrytego pod powierzchnią życia klasy średniej mechanizmu jej funkcjonowania。 Najpierw daje zbliżenie z daleka wyglądających na normalne i typowe rodzinnych relacji。 Następnie bierze pod lupę coraz głębsze warstwy psychiki bohaterów， zwłaszcza bohaterek， tworzone przez nie latami mechanizmy obronne， które pomagają im trwać w tak urządzonej rzeczywistości。 Następnie przeprowadza studium pękania tych mechanizmów， kiedy pewne granice zostały przekroczone i kiedy wypracowane głęboko we własnym wnętrzu strategie stają się niewydolne。 Któż z nas nie widział karmienia dzieci na siłę？ Któż nie doświadczył przy rodzinnym stole komentarzy na temat swoich nawyków żywieniowych？ Kult bicia dzieci jako metody wychowawczej， znęcanie się nad zwierzętami również i w naszej społeczności nadal mają się całkiem dobrze。 Wystarczy spojrzeć na statystyki， sondaże i doniesienia mediów， żeby stwierdzić， że to w zasadzie codzienność。 Od tego się zaczyna。 Następnie mamy nasze powszednie nieuczestniczeniem mężczyzn w życiu rodzinnym， w wychowywaniu dzieci。 Wypruwanie sobie żył przez kobiety， żeby sprostać codzienności i wymaganiom wizerunkowym stawianym przez społeczeństwo。 Kolejny krąg piekła to gwałty， w tym małżeńskie。 Nakręcająca się dalej spirala przemocy - aż do granic wytrzymałości i ich przekroczenia。 Do momentu， kiedy się już nie chce i nie daje rady w tym uczestniczyć， przynależeć do świata ludzi i w ogóle ssaków （bo zdarzenie z psem też było w życiu bohaterki na tyle straszne， że nie do udźwignięcia dla dziecięcej psychiki）。 Już tylko świat roślin wydaje się możliwy do zaakceptowania i bezpieczny。Świat ludzki jest w przez Han Kang przeanalizowany jako prowadzący jedynie do erozji i zaburzenia więzi （RAD - poważna， a niewidoczna gołym okiem dysfunkcja）， które z kolei skutkuje przedmiotowym traktowaniem bliskich w każdym kolejnym pokoleniu - doświadczająca największej przemocy tytułowa bohaterka książki podświadomie boi się， że sama może kogoś zabić/skrzywdzić - tego m。in。 dotyczą jej koszmarne sny。 O tym wszystkim jest ta książka。 Nie o wegetarianizmie。 Od literackiej strony na uwagę zasługuje bardzo precyzyjna， klarowna konstrukcję tekstu: Składa się on z trzech integralnych opowieści z całkiem odmienną narracją， pokazujących opowiadaną historię z trzech różnych punktów widzenia， które się uzupełniają nawzajem， a każdy z nich jest coraz większym zbliżeniem i pogłębieniem analizy problemu。Pierwszoosobowa narracja pierwszej części jest ekspresją najbardziej prymitywnego egocentryzmu， skupienia się wyłącznie na sobie i swoim skrajnie uproszczonym widzeniu świata。 Język tego narratora - męża bohaterki - jest sterylnie prosty， sterylnie nieskomplikowany ma też ten mężczyzna ogląd rzeczywistości。 Jego narracja jest odzwierciedleniem wyzutej z refleksji i z emocji konstrukcji osobowości， niepozwalającej na wejście w żadną więź。 Narracja drugiej części jest już trzecioosobowa， ale mocno personalna， prowadzona z punktu widzenia szwagra bohaterki - człowieka na pierwszy rzut oka bardziej wrażliwego， wewnętrznie złożonego， bo artysty， który jednak okazuje się osobą również skupioną głównie na sobie i swoich wizjach。 Zdolną krzywdzić w imię ich realizacji， która mimo że bardzo wyrafinowana - jak na artystę przystało - nadal jest przejawem wyłącznie zwierzęcych instynktów， nad którymi bohater nie umie zapanować。 Traktuje tytułową bohaterkę wyłącznie jak narzędzie pozwalające mu urzeczywistnić jego żądze。 Rozdział ten obnaża jednocześnie rolę sztuki jako jedynie sublimacji egoistycznych popędów。 Myślę， że i ten rodzaj przemocy doskonale znamy - patrząc choćby na kolejne afery z cyklu metoo w szkołach i instytucjach artystycznych。Trzecia część， w której oglądamy świat przedstawiony z punktu widzenia siostry bohaterki， częściowo dzielącej i przez to najlepiej rozumiejącej jej los， jest najbardziej pogłębiona。 To kobiety na własnej skórze doświadczają przemocy patriarchalnie zaprojektowanego systemu， zatem najbardziej rozumiejąco potrafią opisać jego mechanizm。 Jednakże siostra była nieco inaczej traktowana w dzieciństwie， ma inne， bardziej skuteczne mechanizmy obronne i adaptacyjne， które do pewnego stopnia pozwoliły jej się przystosować do wymogów społecznych。 Przez to， mimo że sama na swój sposób cierpi， nie jest w stanie pojąć cierpienia siostry。 I dopiero na samym końcu wreszcie daje radę ją przytulić， choć to w zasadzie pierwszy gest， jaka narzucałaby się w toku rozwoju fabuły - być może jedyny możliwy w tym świecie， mający moc wsparcia i ocalenia， a wciąż tak trudny do wykonania。„Wagetarianka” to książka ogromnie i żywo zaangażowana we współczesne， bezpośrednio nas dotykające problemy。 Dlatego budzi tyle emocji， dyskusji i generuje tyle różnych odczytań。 Zdecydowanie warto ją znać i o niej dyskutować。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Vegetarian

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Vegetarian&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Vegetarian&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0