Books, books, books!
Yup, three books in this post 😉 Over the last few weeks, I’ve read The Vegetarian by Han Kang, The Girl who Drank the Moon (Children’s) by Kelly Barnhill, and People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks. The first was a book club pick, and the other two were recommended by friends.
The Girl Who Drank the Moon
Lets start with the easy reviews. The Girl Who Drank the Moon is a lush, magical, story about a baby who is raised by a witch, and fed “moon milk” (because they ran out of goat milk, didn’t you know) which gave her magic powers for life. It is also the story of a village that lives permanently in sorrow, sacrificing one baby every year to the forest to keep themselves safe. It is the story of an old witch who attempts to help these abandoned babies, of a mother who resists relinquishing her baby, and a young man who wants to fight the recurring heartache of the village. The story is told beautifully in a way that both Ro and I found captivating. Its reading level is 5th grade, and there are certainly vocabulary words that my 3rd grader didn’t know, but he is simply loving the book, and comprehending the story well. The book is a Newberry Medal winner, so it doesn’t need any additional accolades from me. The award speaks for itself.
People of the Book
People of the Book is a history fiction about an ancient Hebrew Codex that is discovered in Sarajevo. The story is tied together by a present-day book conservationist who is called upon to help save the book from falling victim to age and neglect. As the conservationist Heather unearths clues to the book’s history and whereabouts, be it a fragment of a butterfly wing from a mountain top, the story of a Muslim librarian that helped save historical Jewish texts, or a wine stain. As she tries to reason, date, and explain each discovery, the author takes us into the back story of the fate of the book and that of the people whose hands it passed through. The book is, for the most part, fascinating and a good read, with a handful of the back-stories getting tedious and not adding much historical or narrative value. I learned a lot about historical migration, enslavement, and ethnic conflicts just by reading through this. A good, but not excellent, read.
The Vegetarian
Lastly, we come to The Vegetarian. I loved this book. I haven’t enjoyed some of the recent book club picks, so I was extra stoked to like this book. It had an element of fantasy similar to a Murakami, though considerably lighter (and we knew the name of the characters- so un-Murakami-esque!). The story is about a woman – Yeong-hye – who abruptly stops eating meat. Set in Korea, the book was released in Korean as three novellas, the first told from the perspective of Yeong-hye’s husband, the second by her sister’s husband, and the third part by her sister. It chronicles her slow spiral into (opinions were divided here) either madness or complete renunciation of life as a human.
In the first part (which was received in Korea as extremely bizzare at the time of publication), Yeong-hye has a bloody dream that convinces her to give up eating meat. Her husband, used to the comforts of multi-course meat-filled meals cooked by his wife, sees this as eccentric and disrespectful behavior. Yeong-hye’s family, specifically her father, also finds himself unable to support this change, viewed as a rebellion against the norm. We witness the dynamics of her family and her isolation.
The second part involves Yeong-hye’s brother-in-law (her sister’s husband), and his obsession with Yeong-hye. This is the most lyrical part of the book, with a disturbing emotional storyline where you are both fascinated and repelled by what is happening. It explores human connection in a framework that lacks overt normalcy.
The third part delves into Yeong-hye’s sister’s relationship with her, and her guilt at having let Yeong-hye suffer, as well as her burden of being Yeong-hye’s savior over the years.
The biggest criticism I heard of this book was that it glorified madness, and I can understand where that comes from. On the other hand, I found the book a very compelling read. The author & translator constructed beautiful imagery with words, allowing us to witness Yeong-hye’s transformation without needing to fully understand it. I would love to hear from anyone who has read the book. Was Yeong-hye insane, or simply in need of understanding & therapy? Were the actions of her brother-in-law a violation, or just normal in a world where Yeong-hye finally seemed comfortable in her skin? Did her sister, in trying to save her, inflict the most damage on Yeong-hye?