The Vegetarian

A Novel

De: Han Kang

Narrado por: Deborah Smith, Janet Song, Stephen Park

FROM HAN KANG, WINNER OF THE 2024 NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE

“[Han Kang writes in] intense poetic prose that . . . exposes the fragility of human life.”—from the Nobel Prize citation

WINNER OF THE INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE • “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

One of the New York Times’s 100 Best Books of the 21st Century

“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.

A Best Book of the Year: BuzzFeed, Entertainment Weekly, Wall Street Journal, Time, Elle, The Economist, HuffPost, Slate, Bustle, The St. Louis Dispatch, Electric Literature, Publishers Weekly

©2016 Han Kang (P)2016 Random House Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“Surreal . . . [A] mesmerizing mix of sex and violence .”—Alexandra Alter, The New York Times

“[Han Kang] has been rightfully celebrated as a visionary in South Korea . . . Han’s glorious treatments of agency, personal choice, submission and subversion find form in the parable. . . . Ultimately, though, how could we not go back to Kafka? More than The Metamorphosis, Kafka’s journals and ‘A Hunger Artist’ haunt this text.”—Porochista Khakpour, New York Times Book Review

“Indebted to Kafka, this story of a South Korean woman’s radical transformation, which begins after she forsakes meat, will have you reading with your hand over your mouth in shock.”—O: The Oprah Magazine

Pronunciation!

A remarkable story. The protagonist, the Vegetarian, combines in her character contentment and strength of will belied by her physical condition.
It surprised me that the publishers did not listen carefully to the performance of the readers. The male reader needs to take care! In the most compelling moments his pronunciation of BUTTOCK would break the author's spell. Please dear publisher have a listen! Yours Sincerely, Jitu Pasricha

Excellent

this was A very intriguing novel. i liked the vivid descriptions that led up to this individuals mental collapse. she was so entrapped in her delusions that others around her began to question their own realities. Very well done

tragic af

hella sad. lots of sad events and sad people in a sad world. like super touching tho.

Not so good. just exhausting.

started out interesting but I struggled to finish. Not good enough for me to recommend it.

Compelling and Confounding

Sincerely enjoyed the story. The performance could have used a more specific or varied translation from Korean to English. In certain spots I feel like the turn of phrase was “flattened” but this could just be the only way to translate the project and there is no way to keep higher fidelity. Interesting ending and it’s a story with layers of symbolism to pull apart.

Butt-ocks(?)

Whimsical and ultimately devastating portrayal of trauma and art. Too bad about the narrator whose strange pronunciation of several words - especially the ubiquitous buttocks - is distracting.

Very nostalgic writing that holds you wanting more

This story is very tense and vivid. Writing is of the best, just excellent story telling

A twisted ride

I was worried about the audio after reading the reviews but I’m glad I gave this book a chance. It is beautifully written and the story pulls you in. I finished it in one sitting. The only negative is the female narrator is sooo slow.

Wondrously horrific

Beautifully written and narrated, the spiraling undoing of reality and relationships. Brilliant and utterly absorbing.

Weird Novel

Would you consider the audio edition of The Vegetarian to be better than the print version?

I don't know if I would say that the audio is better because I would have liked to re-read a couple of passages a couple of times.

Would you recommend The Vegetarian to your friends? Why or why not?

It's difficult to say if I would recommend this to a friends because of how challenging the novel can be. There are some graphic content that would make me hesitant recommending it.

Have you listened to any of Janet Song and Stephen Park ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is the first performance I've heard from them and they were very good.

Who was the most memorable character of The Vegetarian and why?

The Main character is definitely the most memorable because of the situations and scenes that happens in her life.