Review: The Vegetarian

The Vegetarian by Han Kang
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Vegetarian is an interesting book that does not take its premise nearly far enough. It is surreal, to an extent, building an enticing mystery surrounded by characters that weave through cultural ideas and moral questions. The core mystery, the one of the titular "Vegetarian", is interesting insofaras the actual vegetarianism is a small part of a larger unexplained situation.

The book is at its best as cultural commentary, examining general and specific reactions and responses to situations arising from the vegetarian. The titular character is somewhat a plot device, the story is in the behaviors of those that surround her. The themes range from societal stigma against vegetarians, to mental illness and infidelity, as well as questions about family and death. It takes some unexpected turns, but for the most part it struggles to surprise you because either it reveals too much too early or is so left-field that you are too confused to be startled.

Sadly, the interesting themes and questions are not explored fully. The story meanders too much, the characters will say some insightful things of consequence and then nothing. The book builds anticipation, reaches the climax, and then refuses to explore the future, it jumps over the difficult conversations to the detriment of its plot and themes.

It is interesting to read, but like so many other works of literature it is haunted by the ghosts of what could have been.

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