Know what freaks people out? A woman who knows what she wants and doesn’t care if it makes those around her uncomfortable.

• In Nobel Prize winner Han Kang’s The Vegetarian, one woman’s decision to stop eating meat spirals into a horror story as her husband and family become increasingly convinced she has lost her mind.

This strange little novel clocks in at just over 200 pages and punches way above its weight, pushing readers to consider big questions about autonomy, self-determination, sex, violence, and the right—or not—to do what you want even if it causes you harm.

Considered one of the best books of the 21st century so far, The Vegetarian is an unlikely bestseller. A one-of-a-kind reading experience, it invites confusion and incites discomfort—not exactly your typical book club fare—but readers ate it up.

🎧 Dig into the meaning and impact of this unforgettable read with Zero to Well-Read, and read on for some bonus links about the book and author.

We are Painfully Transformed

You know you’ve done something right when the kinds of things people have to say about your books include sentiments like: “It made me weep for the power of kindness” and “I emerge painfully transformed from all of Han Kang’s books.”

Lost (or Not?) in Translation

When Han Kang won the 2024 Nobel Prize for Literature, a kerfuffle surfaced about the English-language translation of The Vegetarian. The controversy is that some critics have claimed that Deborah Smith’s translation meaningfully and excessively deviates from Kang’s original Korean text.

Kang defended the translation and the correction of what she feels are ultimately minor errors in translation in this 2023 interview with The Booker Prize committee, a year before she was named the winner of the Nobel.

A Note on Plant-Based Diets in Korea

Jeff and Rebecca spent a few minutes pondering their cultural knowledge gap regarding attitudes towards vegetarianism in Korea. I found several think pieces on the subject, a few directly in reaction to The Vegetarian, but none of them seemed to be by actual Koreans. The exception is what appears to be a lifestyle piece in the Ewha Voice, a paper from a women’s university in Seoul; it is from this piece that I pulled the following illuminating quote: “When I told my grandmother that I no longer eat meat, the first thing I heard from her was that I will die by doing so.” Side note: I may not be Korean, but this response by a grandparent to a statement of dietary needs is very relatable content.

I did, however, find this piece from Joanne Molinaro, a.k.a. The Korean Vegan, about veganism in Korea. It is mostly a vegan travel guide, but also gives some good background on the history of veganism in the country, as well as its marked rise in popularity—we’re talking a 1,556% increase in 13 years.

They Said What Now?

My favorite section: out-of-context show quotes.

• “She brings out their inner pigness.”
• “I have never met an author more in need of an ambient in my entire life.”
• “It did my little heart good. I don’t know if it grew three sizes, but it grew a little bit.”
  “I mean, if you go on the internet and it doesn’t shrink, you gotta take the W.”
• “This is not what the girlies mean when we talk about wanting to become one with the forest!”