Ahoy there me mateys!

I be a curious sort and so when I heard of Blogging for Books, I had to check it out. When looking at the books available for review, I was intrigued by the novel that won the Man Booker International Prize. Then I read the first line:

"Before my wife turned vegetarian, I'd always thought of her as completely unremarkable in every way."

Sealed the deal an' I requested it. Request granted! That first line proved to be the start of a beautifully engaging novel.

This is the story of Yeong-hye and her descent into madness. Part 1, "The Vegetarian," is from the perspective of her husband. Part 2, "The Mongolian Mark," is from her brother-in-law. Her sister narrates Part 3, "Flaming Trees."

This book has been described as both "Kafkaesque" and "terrifying." It was not terrifying to me; just sad and completely engrossing. I could see the comparison to Kafka, in the descent into madness, of course. However the blurb would have ye think that the book is filled with gory images, torture, and perversion. I found the family trying to convince Yeong-hye to eat meat to be ineffectual, if persistent.

In fact, in Yeong-hye, madness seems almost to be calm and even controlled in how it progressed. The real madness was in how the family imploded because of the circumstances. Yeong-hye lives in her own world and her struggle is internal. Real yes. But from this reader's perspective, there is almost admiration for Yeong-hye's choice. And perhaps that is what could be terrifying to some - that madness can almost make sense if ye overlook the initial spark of insanity.

I recommend this novel for its beautiful writing and storytelling and only hope that you are as immersed into the tale as I was.

Side note: a special thanks to Teresa Quevedo who packaged the book that was sent to me :)

So lastly . . .

Thank you Hogarth - The Crown Publishing Group!

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

If ye liked this review, see me others at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/