The Vegetarian

The story follows Yeong-hye, a soft-spoken, "unremarkable" wife living in modern-day Seoul. After experiencing a series of blood-soaked, terrifying nightmares about human cruelty, she abruptly decides to stop eating, cooking, or wearing anything related to animal products. 

What begins as a simple dietary change quickly spirals into a total rejection of human society. The novel is structured in three parts, each told from the perspective of someone in her life—none of whom are Yeong-hye herself.

The Author: Han Kang

She is a South Korean writer and the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate, recognized for her "intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life." Born in Gwangju as the daughter of novelist Han Seung-won, she moved to Seoul as a child, an upbringing that was deeply impacted by the cultural memory of the Gwangju Uprising. After studying Korean Literature at Yonsei University, she debuted as a poet in 1993 before transitioning to fiction with her 1995 collection Love of Yeosu. She gained international acclaim when her 2007 novel The Vegetarian won the International Booker Prize in 2016, marking her as a leading voice in contemporary literature. Throughout her career, which includes notable works, such as Human Acts and The White Book, Han has explored the intersection of physical existence and psychological suffering, often using the body as a site of both trauma and silent rebellion.