An unsettling, anxiety-ridden novel, filled with disturbing imagery. It reminded me of Tender Is the Flesh, though they convey different messages. The Vegetarian centers more on the quiet suffering of women and the desire to transcend the human body, whereas Tender Is the Flesh explores a dystopian world, shaped by mass meat consumption and the cold brutality of the slaughterhouse industry.

Both novels carry strong feminist undertones, but reducing The Vegetarian solely to a critique of patriarchy feels limiting. At its heart, the book seems to ask a deeper question: is it possible to transcend the human body,its violence and impurity, and reach a state of inner peace and harmony with nature?

⬇️ warning slight spoilers ⬇️

Yeonghye’s gradual descent into madness and transformation is portrayed gruesome details. She is faced with with rejection, horror disgust and abandonment. The only only person who attempts to understand her, is another woman, her sister and she is the only one that sees Yeonghye's "vision" for she also yearns for freedom that transcending human flesh offers.

Additional note: I've read a Slovenian translation so I can't be the judge of prose. It seemed very well translated given the circumstances (this is a translation of Spanish translation with the help of Russian, Polish and English translation) but I keep on asking myself what was lost or mistranslated.

COVID-19 retelling Another relevant read for uncertain times. Camus may have intended the plague as a metaphor for war, but to me it reads more like a dissection of the human psyche during crisis. What’s unsettling is how little people seem to have changed since The Plague was written. While plagues change, the human nature remains the same.