Title | : | The Fruit of My Woman |
Author | : | |
Rating | : | |
ISBN | : | - |
Language | : | English |
Format Type | : | Paperback |
Number of Pages | : | 28 |
Publication | : | Published January 19, 2016 |
The Fruit of My Woman Reviews
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“I want to see the very edge of the world. To get as far away as possible, bit by bit.”
The husband in Han Kang’s ‘The Fruit of My Woman’ dismisses his wife’s 'romantic delusions,' but after a few years of married life in a crowded apartment building in Seoul, he is confronted by something he can’t understand. Bruises appear on his wife’s body and then become larger. And larger. As the story progresses, it becomes apparent that she is undergoing a transformation neither fully comprehends.
“Let’s go somewhere far away, the two of us…It’s impossible to live in this stifling place.” The husband has no idea what she means or “what on earth she could be yearning for.” He had married her as something of an anodyne to his loneliness. Night after night, this loneliness is not assuaged. However, that changes with her transformation. In the end, whose need is being satisfied by the transformation?
Han Kang’s short story is beautifully written and thought provoking. -
"I’m scared, Mother. My limbs have to fall out. This flowerpot is too cramped, its walls too hard. Shooting pains at the tips of my roots. Mother, I will die before winter comes.
And I doubt that I will bloom again in this world."
Incredibly poetic, sad, strange, and beautiful short story. Han Kang is now becoming one of my favorite Asian authors! -
WELCOME TO DECEMBER PROJECT!
this explanation/intro will be posted before each day’s short story. scroll down to get to the story-review.
this is the SIXTH year of me doing a short story advent calendar as my december project. for those of you new to me or this endeavor, here’s the skinny: every day in december, i will be reading a short story that is 1) available free somewhere on internet, and 2) listed on goodreads as its own discrete entity. there will be links provided for those of you who like to read (or listen to) short stories for free, and also for those of you who have wildly overestimated how many books you can read in a year and are freaking out about not meeting your 2020 reading-challenge goals. i have been gathering links all year when tasty little tales have popped into my feed, but i will also accept additional suggestions, as long as they meet my aforementioned 1), 2) standards.
GR has deleted the pages for several of the stories i've read in previous years without warning, leaving me with a bunch of missing reviews and broken links, which makes me feel shitty. i have tried to restore the ones i could, but my to-do list is already a ball of nightmares, so that's still a work-in-progress. however, because i don't have a lot of time to waste, i'm not going to bother writing much in the way of reviews for these, in case GR decides to scrap 'em again.
i am doing my best.
merry merry.
DECEMBER 3: THE FRUIT OF MY WOMAN - HAN KANGMy wife went to bed quite early, and she was an unusually deep sleeper. If I returned home late, I could take it as a given that she would already have fallen asleep. When I turned my key in the front door’s lock and stepped into the flat, alone and with no one to greet me, washed myself and entered the darkened bedroom, the even cadences of her breathing struck me as inexplicably desolate. If I embraced her, hoping to ease this loneliness, her half-open, sleep-clouded eyes gave me no clue as to whether she was rejecting my embrace or warmly returning it. She only swept her silent fingers through my hair until the movements of my body stopped.
this is about a relationship doomed for all the ordinary reasons; the couple plodding on lonely and hollow until their division bears itself out into a most extraordinary situation. stunning, sad, sharp—now i really need to read
The Vegetarian.
that's all i can muster—i have booster-brain and it's hard to be awake.
read it for free here
THE STORIES:
DECEMBER 1: NIGHT STAND - DANIEL WOODRELL
DECEMBER 2: MR. DEATH - ALIX HARROW
DECEMBER 4: THE TINDER BOX - KATE ELLIOTT
DECEMBER 5: BABYCAKES - NEIL GAIMAN
DECEMBER 6: HIS MIDDLE NAME WAS NOT JESUS - NOVIOLET BULAWYO
DECEMBER 7: SING A SONG OF SIXPENCE - LILLI CARRÉ
DECEMBER 8: DARK TIDE - MARK LAWRENCE
DECEMBER 9: DARKER TIDE - MARK LAWRENCE
DECEMBER 10: BREAK - MISHELL BAKER
DECEMBER 11: A RUMOR OF ANGELS - DALE BAILEY
DECEMBER 12: THE ENGLISHMAN - DOUGLAS STUART
DECEMBER 13: IT CAME FROM CRUDEN FARM - MAX BARRY
DECEMBER 14: NO MOON AND FLAT CALM - ELIZABETH BEAR
DECEMBER 15: A STUDY IN SHADOWS - BENJAMIN PERCY
DECEMBER 16: ART APPRECIATION - FIONA MCFARLANE
DECEMBER 17: THE SOUND OF FOOTSTEPS - SILVIA MORENO-GARCIA
DECEMBER 18: WE HAVEN'T GOT THERE YET - HARRY TURTLEDOVE
DECEMBER 19: THE DUNE - STEPHEN KING
DECEMBER 20: THE WORTHINGTON - EMILY CARROLL
DECEMBER 21: SUNBLEACHED - NATHAN BALLINGRUD
DECEMBER 22: BLOOD DAUGHTER - MATTHEW LYONS
DECEMBER 23: THE LINE - AMOR TOWLES
DECEMBER 24: PIGEONS - NIBEDITA SEN
DECEMBER 25: WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED, WHAT WE WILL FORGET, WHAT WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO FORGET - EUGENE LIM
DECEMBER 26: ONE/ZERO - KATHLEEN ANN GOONAN
DECEMBER 27: MATINEE - ROBERT COOVER
DECEMBER 28: ACCESS - ANDY WEIR
DECEMBER 29: UNNECESSARY THINGS - TATYANA TOLSTAYA
DECEMBER 30: HOOK - DANIELLE MCLAUGHLIN
DECEMBER 31: HE'S VERY WELL READ - CATHERINE LACEY
previous years' advent calendars (what's left of 'em):
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
come to my blog! -
I was about to give this story a three-star rating until I read the final chapter and was completely blown away. I was ecstatic and thrilled, and I could never have imagined myself in such a circumstance. I admire and appreciate the author completely. I'm eager to get my hands on her other works as soon as possible..
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I didn't really have any expectations. I did enjoy it as it made me shift my view on houseplants and such now. It made me reflect on my life and of someone I care about. It's an underwhelming but intense story that I would recommend reading.
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"Sunlight the colour of a ripe peach’s flesh oozed onto the living room floor, shedding countless particles of dust and pollen."
I must have reread that sentence at least 5 times. That is beautiful! It can smell the sunlight! Great job, Han Kang and Deborah Smith. I do not care about the controversy saying that Deborah Smith's translation of 'The Vegetarian' was kind of more 'poetic' than in the original Korean book. Why? Because I love Han Kang's writings which I couldn't have been able to enjoy unless Deborah Smith zealously translated them from Korean.
Back to 'The Fruit of My Woman'. I have a weak point for characters that undergo a metamorphosis be it on the inside or outside; but especially when they turn into something physically different from their human nature but which mimics their inner soul, their true nature. I really enjoyed this short story and quite took my time reading it. There are awesome quotes in it, and I am sharing the ones I loved most down below.
"I registered my wife’s words as a mere disturbance in the fabric of silence rather than processing their meaning."
"It [the secretive expression] made her look as though she was wandering somewhere far away, in some undisclosed location. In that face, which at first glance had seemed merely bright and lovely, I was able to read an unlooked-for loneliness, seemingly that of an entirely different person, and it was this that gave me the momentary conviction that she understood me."
"Trying to cling on to the trailing end of that innocent, fragile laugh, I said the words again: ‘I’ve been lonely my whole life.’"
"my contentment was like warm water lapping gently at the inner sides of a deeply filled bathtub, caressing my exhausted body."
"I’ve never been happy. Is there some tortured soul forever at my back, clutching at my throat, my limbs? I’ve only ever wanted to run away, an extremely basic impulse, the pain that provokes a cry, the pinch that produces a scream. Sitting with my knees up at the back of the bus, looking as though I wouldn’t hurt a fly, and all that time longing to shatter the window with my fist. Greedy for the blood that would stream down my palm, I would have lapped it up as a cat does milk. What was it that I was trying to run away from, what was it that tormented me so much I longed to flee to the other side of the world? And what held me back, hobbling me, crippling me? What were the fetters that weighed me down, preventing the leap that would transfuse this sickening blood?"
This short story if free, check it here
https://granta.com/the-fruit-of-my-woman/ -
much better than the vegetarian tbh
read on
granta -
Brilliant and disturbingly beautiful and sad.
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A picture of a woman turning into a tree was an inspiration for Han Kung's 'The Vegetarian' too. In here it seems to be stagnatation of life - starting from wanting to see the whole world, the woman here ends up being a perfectly still tree
https://granta.com/the-fruit-of-my-wo... -
On the nose but well-written :)
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For some, the wife in 'The Fruit of My Woman' is the protagonist. For others, the husband is. For myself, I belong to the former group. And I can't help but find her story resembling my sister's.
To understand: My sister's been married for a while now. Recently, she was blessed with an adorable son. Now, no one can ever be prepared for parenthood, for motherhood. Neither was she. This contributed to the bulk of her unhappiness, her post-pregnancy depression. Just like the wife, my sister's "bruised"; my sister's "bruised" by the varied roles she has to play at home -- a mother, a wife, a daughter-in-law, a daughter, a sister. So much so, she's forgotten who she was (again, like the protagonist).
As did the wife, my sister reminisced about the past. As did the wife, my sister was reminded of my mother. As much as both the wife and my sister look normal, they aren't. They yearn to "grow" out of this domestication (I interpret as the pot), these different roles, and into different corners of the Earth (no, not wanderlust). Although she can't quite put a finger on it, she feels as "rooted" as the wife to this whole circumstance. Occasional elements of happiness (like the wife's fertiliser and water) may appear at times, none however ever cured what's affecting them. They feel alone. They are, for the most part, alone. So they (as "plants") wilt despite our love, care, and concern.
That doesn't mean we give up on them, though. We continue. We fight. Will it work? There's only one way to find out. Now, the husband's waiting to see if his wife will eventually bloom and bear fruits. And so are we. -
Brilliant story. The metaphor of transformation into a tree works on so many levels- longing to be invisible, to be ultimately rooted, to be at one with the nature, to be silent and present. The gender dynamic in the story is also well constructed- the self absorption of both the wife and more so, of the husband goes into the metamorphosis of the ultimate kind (woman into a tree). Han Kang's use of mythologised narrative leaves much to wonder about the literary tradition that she seems to have been influenced by.
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Well, this bizarre story is beautifully written.
This is in many ways a direct precursor to her novel The Vegetarian, which won Man Booker Prize. The basic premise is the same: A woman undergoing a transformation. In this story, the woman transformed into a plant, literally, while in The Vegetarian is is seen as a mental illness. -
4.5 ⭐️
Like ‘The Vegetarian’, this is another experience to read. Despite sharing some themes, the Fruit of My Woman is definitely more lighthearted and pleasant to read. That being said, it’s considerably more non-real - it’s hard to explain but it’s somewhat supernatural. I’m not describing it that well but basically it follows the story of a couple (8 chapters in total all but the 7th a first-person account from the husband’s perspective) and how the wife becomes a plant. Han Kang once again fills the pages with such intense, vivid depictions of the two character, their surroundings and what is happening. The continuous references to plant life and nature are so well penned - truly a captivating, beautiful yet strange read. Yh I don’t exactly know what else to say but I would definitely recommend this book. My favourite chapter was the 7th which is written like a letter to her mother as you get to see the story from her perspective but in total was a great read. Short and sweet, weird and wonderful, mind blowing and magnifying.
This short story came at the end of my version of The Vegetarian and I love that I had the opportunity to read more of Kang’s work, especially after the former novel and I cannot wait to explore more of her work. -
This was a strange story, but there was some beautiful writing and imagery. I was pretty annoyed by the husband at first, he was so selfish and self-absorbed, but he redeems himself a little bit at the end.
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"Mother, I will die before winter comes.
And I doubt that I will bloom again in this world."
3.8/5. this whole thing felt like the vegetarian all over again but supportive husband edition. i think i liked this one better though. -
" I don’t know when I first became aware that I would end up old and ruined, roaming these stranger-thronged streets. I was unhappy at home and equally unhappy elsewhere, so tell me, where should I have gone? "
Short, simple and beautifully written piece by Han Kang. -
المفروض إن القصة دي كانت مسودة لرواية هان كانغ "النباتية". أنا حبيت دي أكتر
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I'm not sure how I feel about the translator's note, though :/
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Some fantastic imagery, ideas, and writing.
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I read the story here:
https://granta.com/the-fruit-of-my-wo...
This is the story of a marriage that unravels because the wife experiences an almost supernatural transformation. As bland as that sounds, though, the story also speaks of loneliness in a way that renders the emotion into a character in the couple's marriage itself. It is almost as if there are two separate emotions who are living their lives out via the physical corporeal characters who carry them: Loneliness via the Husband and The Desire to Flee via the Wife.
The translator compares the work to Kafka's Metamorphosis, and to some degree, it is about a person becoming a tree and what the consequences of that might be. -
This manages to be so immersive in so few pages. While the husband sets up the scene for what's happening, as soon as the woman starts talking, something just... sprouts inside you. This is not a pun or a joke - I could feel it all at once: the despair mixed with a bittersweet feeling of relief and uncertainty. Her connection with nature and everything around her. The giving of oneself to something bigger and unknown.
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The message of this story is in the medium, the lexicon itself, and it grows (hehe) on you over it’s short time with you.
Upon finishing this, I realize there’s something from reading in translation that is hard to get elsewhere and I must do more. -
终于看完了同名的《植物妻子》后面还有几篇不打算读下去了,这篇主要讲了城市逼仄的居住环境喧嚣的噪音对人物的迫害,虽然以丈夫的视角来写妻子,丈夫也是缺少体贴冷漠无情的人仿佛这冰冷的城市一样。故事内核很普通,精彩的还是小说艺术表现手法,文字功底实在深厚,很魔幻现实主义(这么叫吗)向往自由的妻子最终变成了一株植物,象征着渴望自然自由的生活,也暗含着活生生的人的精神被城市生活所压榨逼迫后变成了没有感情和血肉血肉的植物,还有对冷漠丈夫婚姻不幸的绝望,(丈夫居然不关心妻子容貌身体变化为什么不开心),所以最后妻子精神状态属于抑郁麻木无知觉仿若“植物”,包括里面插叙了以妻子第一人称给母亲写信的描写,内心植物化趋向的变化。如果土壤阳光就是一个人存活所需全部那该多好,活得如一株植物般简单的不喜不悲。
Ps:不知道为啥看完她写的读后感都可以写的有深度哈哈哈哈哈哈,有的看完了实在没什么想法。所以说明这个作者的东西容易带给读���思考和许多探讨猜测的东西。
9.14
看完了韩江《在某一天》,讲的是一个负责给各出版社送书工作的人,全文都称“他”,一次偶然送书被出版社一女人敏华夸侧脸帅气后,两个人学会吃饭看电影后想念,敏华也不介意她没文化没技术工资低没有养家糊口的能力,叫他搬来自己租的地下室住,和所有的情侣一样越来越多的争吵消磨他们的感情,甚至到了动粗的地步,敏华背叛了他和同事在他们居住的地方偷情,在撞见几次后他用刀刺伤了敏华,心疼后悔的立即送往医院。重点是这里写的非常温柔!!!敏华被医生问起说是自己刺伤的,没有怨恨恐惧两个人面对面依旧淡如水,和敏华同事兼好友也只说了一句“你真狠毒啊。她......男女关系本来就复杂。只要是喜欢自己的人,轻易就把心交给对方。我早就料到像你这样单纯的男人一定会受伤”,从死水一样的生活遇见爱情变的明亮鲜活起来后,失去爱情又重回行尸走肉的生活。书中很多地方包括他的社长对他的评价,说的眼神很吓人“好像有个很大的洞,瞳孔里什么都没有。透过它能看到我的脸,真让人害怕……泰植那家伙,怎么看都有 点可怕,总有-天会闹出什么大事。没看过那眼睛吗?你仔细瞧瞧。”这就写在前面埋下伏笔。可以想象是那种犯人的凶相冷酷的眼神吧。
这样一个边缘的社会群体。没有亲人朋友和人交际少生活在底层收入低文化低,因此容易偏执冲动死脑筋走极端犯罪率很高吧,一般人也会尽量远离交际,发生了小说这种犯罪行为只会被谴责唾骂。这个故事剖析了他们内心荒凉世界,没有故作笔力的去呼唤读者的同情给予爱的关怀之类云云,我读后也觉得这类人人格的可怕,但会让人从内心深处不由自主的涌出一点理解少一点偏见吧,当所有人都谴责某个犯罪,虽然他的行为确实该千刀万剐死不足惜时,多个角度去看待这个人,但请良善一些多放置一点温柔理解。可恨之人也必有可怜之处。
9.16
韩江的《童佛》看完,这个写的更深了。关于母亲说的“怨恨、后悔”到底是什么事没写,为了排解母亲反反复复画了很多张佛像。因为父亲过早离世的怨恨,后面写到一点对子女狠心“教育”学会坚强不安慰的家教的悔恨吗?我的猜测。小说很多次的写到我想摆脱捏造狰狞的关于“童佛”的梦,象征什么?自己内心的阴影?梦魇?读的有一些雾水。关于我和丈夫的婚姻关系。我是爱还是不爱他?曾经爱过吗?作者以我的视角本身也非常含糊!(故事的展开以主角我的立场去推动情节,隐去了作者这个第三方客观有逻辑推动,偏意识流了都)不知道这算不算很迷惑的写作手法?我其实因爱他受伤害了而不自知,因为整个小说都是很淡的忧郁对于即将离婚破裂的感情。整个小说好像一个自我欺骗性的防护罩一样——因为我不爱他所以他出轨我也无所谓。
这只是个人站不住的理解,男主丈夫那个我看懂,可以确信。奇妙奇特吧小说可以这么写的又,不知道应不应该说好,读下来给你的真实性仿佛不是作者自己创作而是在写发生在自己身上一样。这点很牛逼!
9.25
“现在,孩子已经不再好奇傍晚时狗会是一种什么样的心情。因为曾经经历过揪心的痛,曾经长时间孤独过,所以这一刻孩子什 么都不怕了。”《傍晚时狗会是一种什么样的心情》——韩江
夸了很多次了,相比之下看这种沉重现实题材的故事还是宁愿轻松开心的,读下来之于我意义有何呢?全篇以跟着酗酒绝望的父亲四处寻找和人私奔(还是一个人离家出走?)抛弃家庭的几岁小女孩的视角展开,运用了插叙的方式,结尾变卖了平时开的车父亲想和小女孩一起自杀,但最后又改变了主意。可怜无辜的小女孩啊,连长的眼睛像谁都要被骂,喜怒无常经常吵架的父母,因此被养成的敏感的性格。
看的😂我想我为什么看这种东西,不要买这种苦逼遭罪主人公的书了,我一直避免来着。前面几篇也是,看一篇不幸福人的短篇心里不免不舒服一下。诶,再也不要买同类型了。生活这么阳光美好
12.25
《红花丛中》看完,距离上一次看她短篇好几个月了,可能本能的想拒绝她作品的沉重所以放了这么久。这篇女主善开篇带弟弟润去寺庙看莲灯会法事,里面家庭关系非常凉薄冷漠,两个哥哥还有母亲,弟弟偶然破伤风离世,女主善也没有家庭温暖看破红尘(抑郁?)决定出家,然后写在寺庙修行,暂住游玩女孩和她短暂交集为她作画,离群索居的老尼姑的仙逝,写到所谓生死(和奶奶对话那里描写)俗缘每日修行诵读的佛经云云。
“禅坐的时候她才发现自己体内藏着很多记忆,多得超乎想象,也知道了所有的感情都有寄生的肉体。不用说后悔、悲伤和愤怒,甚至看上去再微细的感情也都附有具体的外形和感觉。
漫无头绪地出现的记忆中升腾起某种感情时,她就静静地关注它,进而再细细琢磨那些感觉和外形,在那之后,它们就消失得无影无踪,这令她感到十分惊奇。全部消失后,心灵变得明亮而空荡,每到这时她便得到短暂而舒坦的休憩。记忆再次升腾起来时,步时所看到和,她再次关注它,等它们消失后就再休息。走出禅房在庵内散步时所看到和听到的,便如受到暴雨洗礼般变得清晰异常。” -
"El fruto de mi mujer" (The fruit of my woman), es un cuento original de la escritora Coreana Han Kang, traducido al inglés por Deborah Smith y publicado en occidente por la revista online de libre acceso Granta.
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La historia es contada desde el punto de vista de un esposo, con algunas intervenciones, sobre todo hacia el final, de su mujer.
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Se cuenta la historia de una mujer que vivía en un pueblo pescador de escasos recursos, y que soñaba con la idea de conocer hasta los últimos confines de la tierra. Poco a poco la mujer se va dando cuenta de que la única manera de escapar de ese pueblo es a través del matrimonio. Sin embargo, una vez casada y viviendo en un apartamento muy alto en la ciudad se da cuenta de que tampoco allí es feliz, y sueña constantemente con atravesar el techo del edificio y escapar. La historia nos es contada alrededor de una serie de sucesos en los que la mujer va experimentando una transformación con la que va tomando la forma de una planta.
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Opinión personal:
Se trata de una historia muy emotiva que plasma de manera plena los sentimientos de pérdida y añoranza. Pérdida de la propia alegría de vivir y añoranza de experimentar la libertad lejos de las ataduras sociales.
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Frases que me gustaron:
- "Quiero irme y obtener sangre nueva para mis venas."
- "Ella me dijo que quería extraerse la mala sangre que se estaba coagulando en sus venas como quistes e inundar sus viejos y cansados pulmones con aire fresco."
- "Quiero ver el mismísimo fin del mundo. Irme lo más lejos posible, poco a poco."
-"Esto no es vivir, ella exclamó, solamente parece que lo fuera."
- "He soñado con esto, con ser capaz de vivir con nada más que viento, luz solar y agua, desde hace un largo tiempo ya."
-"Era infeliz en casa y soy igualmente infeliz en cualquier otro lugar, así que dime, ¿hacia donde debí haber ido?"
- "Tengo miedo, madre. Mis extremidades se caerán. Está maceta está demasiado apretada, sus paredes muy duras. Siento calambres dolorosos en la punta de mis raíces. Madre, moriré antes de que llegue el invierno. Y dudo que vuelva a florecer en este mundo." -
قصة قصيرة من الرائعة هان كانغ مؤلفة رواية النباتية
يالها من قصة قصيرة رائعة و مدهشة
زوجة تتحول إلى شجرة فيقوم زوجها بزرعها في إناء زراعي و سقيها بالماء
تتحدث القصة القصيرة عن زوج و زوجته يعيشان في سيول، تدخل الزوجة في حالة من النفور من العيش في المدينة. تحن للطبيعة.
تبدأ بقع او ندبات ملونة بالظهور على أماكن متفرقة من جسدها و من هناك تتوارى الأحداث.
تخاطب الزوجة امها اثناء تحولها الى شجرة و كما لو انها تسترجي المساعدة من حالها. فهي لم تعد تستطيع الأكل، و لم تعد تستطيع الاستسلام لهذه الرغبة التي تعتري جسدها بالحاجة للتحول إلى شجرة.
قصة قصيرة مليئة بالمعاني و الأحاسيس الأنسانية العميقة في الرغبة للشعور بالانتماء و السكينة
بكيت كثيراً اثناء قرائتي لهذه القصة، من كثر جمالها، من كثر عمق احساسها
هان كانغ كاتبة فعلاً كاتبة عظيمة، جداً انصح بكتبها
هذه القصة القصيرة متوفرة مجاناً بشكل رسمي فقط ابحثوا عن اسم القصة مع اسم الكاتبة -
I had to read this short story for a class, and I never expected to actually enjoy it as much as I did.
The very first page made me think that it may be a boring story; however, by the end of the book I was in actual tears.
The story focuses on a couple which finds it difficult finding middle ground. Especially with the selfishness of the husband. (Oh how I hated him)
My first thought was that the woman had some strange condition. However, with the start of her transition, and the constant hints, it was getting obvious about what she will end up looking like.
In the end, with the fruit of his woman, the husband did make the story far weirder than I initially thought it may end up being, and that certainly speaks volumes in itself, considering this is a story on metamorphosis. -
Hang Kang has certainly a way to describe the elements of nature. Her botanical descriptions are beautiful, depictions of the light (light that was almost a character of the Vegetarian) too. Some descriptions of smell really touched me, so vivid, you can see how it can have an effect on the characters (the wife toward her mother, especially). The wife is unhappy, she feels trapped wherever she is and represent so many people in this world feeling trapped, lonely, constantly longing and prisoner of the society and the mold they fitted in. There are many common themes with the Vegetarian and the author plays beautifully with them. You can feel the love of the translator for the author's work.