The Vegetarian Summary
Han Kang

The Vegetarian Overview

The story of this novel, translated from the original Korean, walks a fine line between a pair of different realisms – psychological and magical. Both of these potential realisms play out in the experience of a young woman struggling to live a life free of what she feels are stifling social conventions, a struggle embodied in her efforts to live life without eating meat. As the narrative explores her experience, and those of other characters that parallel or contrast it, it also explores themes relating to the power of sexual desire, the motivating influence of dreams, and the impact of family dynamics on individual choice.