Longlisted for the Man Booker International Prize (which the book went on to win), ‘The Vegetarian’ by Han Kang and translated from the Korean by Deborah Smith tells the story of Yeong-hye who suddenly declares she will no longer eat after having a disturbing dream. Originally published as separate “novelettes”, the three parts of the story are told from the point of view of her husband, brother-in-law and sister respectively who are all outraged by her decision to become a vegetarian in a society where refusing to eat meat is extremely rare.

Some elements of the story such as the first part narrated by Yeong-hye’s emotionally detached husband were vaguely
reminiscent of the novels of Haruki Murakami but that comparison really doesn’t do justice to the unique atmosphere of ‘The Vegetarian’. As Yeong-hye’s obsession begins to manifest itself in extreme ways to the point where she rejects all food and attempts to live as a tree, Kang explores broader social issues surrounding gender politics through Yeong-hye’s relatives’ reaction to her mental illness in spare, precise prose. The absence of Yeong-hye’s own voice as she becomes increasingly disconnected from yet also imprisoned by society is particularly unsettling. Subtle and surreal, ‘The Vegetarian’ is a tightly controlled novella which boldly takes the reader to some very unexpected places.—Clare Rowland