Smit Shanker

The Vegetarian .. is a profound read on life, its meaning, beauty as also a view into what’s grotesque and macabre about it, told as the search, insights and reflections of its main characters, set against cold, rigid, judgemental social structure with little compassion. Han ( and through the pen of Deborah ) has the ability to capture each emotion for what it is, neither exaggerated nor understated, just right . The imagery paints a picture filled with pathos in the backdrop of modern Korean society .. despite that it perhaps has parallels everywhere in other parts of the world . Each of the characters are brought to life with such vivid descriptions, their quest laid out before the reader in a manner which elicits interests, opinions, reprisals but none greater than their own of each other . Their quest and that to be understood is perhaps as fundamental as life itself… fully deserving of the Nobel prize for literature .