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South Korean writer Han Kang’s “The Vegetarian” tells the story of Yeong-hye, a mild-mannered woman who abruptly decides to become a vegetarian — a decision that baffles her husband and sparks a family fallout. 

The novel explores how the protagonist’s life begins to unravel as her refusal to eat meat deepens into obsession, and she endures severe physical and emotional abuse at the hands of those closest to her.

First published in Korean in 2007, the novel earned Han the 2016 Man Booker International Prize for its English translation by Deborah Smith. In 2024, Han became the first South Korean author to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.

At a recent Kalimat Book Club meeting at Alkhobar’s Marfa cafe, readers discussed both the Arabic and English translations. The consensus seemed to be that the English version was more lyrical and poetic, while the Arabic seemed to be truer to the spirit of the original, with more rigid sentences and organic dialogue.

The book club also explored the novel’s three-part structure — told mostly from the male characters’ perspectives — with some suggesting this made Yeong-hye seem like a secondary character in her own life. Discussion also focused on the validity of some scenes and how each narrator framed the overall story.

Han’s imagery draws heavily from Asian folklore, in which people often dream of merging with trees, flowers or mountains in acts of punishment, transcendence or return.

Like the classic Japanese tale retold in Koji Yamamura’s 2002 Oscar-nominated animation “Mt. Head” — in which a grumpy old Japanese man unknowingly grows a cherry tree from his skull and morphs into a plant — “The Vegetarian” channels the animist belief that humans and nature are intertwined.

The question that lingers after reading and discussing the book is: Was the central character’s act one of empowerment or powerlessness?