I read The Vegetarian a while ago as a part of the A-Z challenge 2018 and yet I couldn’t post a review as soon as I would usually. I can blame my erratic blogging schedule but the truth is The Vegetarian by Han Kang left me so confused and perplexed that I had to step back and mull over what to say.
Watch out for my 100th review!
Yet I can’t think of a better fitting book that I have read in the recent times than The Vegetarian to be my 100th review on my blog. Yes, you heard it right. This would be my ONE HUNDREDTH review on this blog.
The Vegetarian talks of how cultural and societal norms make or break a person’s individuality and define one’s perspective. The Vegetarian consists of three parts Yeong-Hye’s past, present and future, from the perspectives of her husband, her brother in law and her sister Kim In-Hye.
In a country where meat is a staple food, Yeong-Hye stops eating meat, a reaction to the bloody nightmares that she had been facing every night. Until then a passive and unassuming wife, Yeong’s decision is criticized by everyone in the family including her father who even tries to force feed her some meat.
My initial thoughts
The more I read, the more intriguing (bizarre, even?) the book became. And given that it is such a short book, I finished it fairly fast, even when I had to re-read some parts to make sure ‘that’ really happened. Let us get on with the review, shall we?
The Vegetarian is the winner of the Man Booker Prize in 2016 among many other awards. If this had gone by my usual luck with award books, I would have been bored by about 20% of the book and still be compelling myself to continue to struggle to the end. WELL, THAT DID NOT HAPPEN.
Just like that Yeong turns from ordinary, according to her abusive and shallow husband Mr. Cheong, to aberrant. What follows is the aftermath of her decision (to be become a The Vegetarian, rather a vegan) and how her family reacts to it. Watch out, The Vegetarian is not an easy read. It will make you question your fundamental assumptions.
The Vegetarian is on the surface a parable on how far can one go to stay put on one’s belief.
But it talks more about the sexism and status of women in a patriarchal society like Korea and other South Asian countries in a pliable and compliant role. The men in Yeong’s life, and thus the novel, are all disgusting in one form or the other and maybe that played a part in her decision to change her life into a ‘plant like’ being.
Bottom-line
If you want to read something that has a simple yet lyrical writing, yet will make you think about your judgmental self you should pick The Vegetarian by Han Kang. But be wary of triggering content – like sexual and physical assaults, extra marital affairs and mental illness. You won’t be disappointed.
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Let us talk
Have you read this book earlier? Does this book depict life in South Korea? Are there any other books set in South Korea that you have read? What books have you read this week?
There are a few perks of being a person (that’s me!!) who reads all the genres of books. The best thing would be being able to switch from a super cute YA romance to a feminist masterpiece without much ado. Once in a while it helps me to move away from the fictitious world to the more serious real world. And this week I will let you know what I thought about three non fiction books that were sent to me for review.
Let us quickly get on to this week’s review shots, shall we?
Tanya’s poetry on the plight of women all over the world in the form of poetry would move you to tears. Taking a leaf from her own and others’ lives she reflects on everything that drives women or oppress them. She talks about motherhood, womanhood, feminism, sexuality, Christianity and racism. I am glad that she speaks about the strong and loving men in her world as well.
My personal favorite would be “Raising Cane for its Sugar” that talks about the preference for male child, which is still a thing that happens in Indian culture as well. It would be hard to read Every Watering Word without the truth hitting hard.
Final thought: Bitter truth
Recommended to: Anyone who calls themselves feminist and lovers of poetry.
It has been a while since Chris sent me a copy of his book but it came at a right time when I was contemplating my move to a self hosted website (yes it seems a long time ago) and / or stepping up a business for myself. Internet Business Insights is a wealth of information for anyone who is thinking of or has already set up an online business.
Chris has insights from 101 successful entrepreneurs who have made it already in the internet business world. He asked them questions on what works and what doesn’t. Sure it gets repetitive over a while, because there are patterns and those patterns are the ones you need to watch out for. Internet Business Insights is not a book that you can read at a stretch, you should do what I did – take it one at a time.
Final thought: Massive number of Q & A about making it in the internet business world
Recommended to: Anyone who has or going to set up an online business.
It has been a while since I laughed this much at something I shouldn’t be. Oh, okay not so long ago because I was laughing at this same book about 3 years ago. Alli Brosh is my kind of person. By that I mean someone messed up but in a good way. Okay not so good. Whatever.
If you are a person who has ever been on the internet you should have see Allie’ website Hyperbole and a half. No? Then you should have at least seen this drawing that has been around the web for a while now. Yes that is Allie’s work.
See you know her! And you need to read her book, if you have not already.
Even if you have never heard of her or her drawings, you should read it.
Okaye seriously, I have not read any online comics that has made me giggle as much as Allie has. She talks about serious stuff lie depression, loneliness and cake and all I can think of is how awesome she is. I am giving up. I don’t think I can do a proper review of her book. Just go read it.
Final thought: You HAVE to read it or at least check her blog out.
Recommended to: Anyone and everyone
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Let us chat
So what do you think of this week’s choices in the review shots? What genre you do not read at all and why? Let us talk.
I read Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal before it took the book world by a storm. Ok not the book world, at least the book blogger community loved and everyone who read it raved it. But how did it fare on my scale? Let us get on to the review!
Meet Nikki, a law school dropout, is trying to make her try at being independent after she finally got out of her over-bearing immigrant mother’s house. She tries to distance herself from her Sikh community, that is too traditional and sexist for her liking. Impetuously, she signs up to teach a Creative English course for the widows of her Punjabi community to earn some quick bucks.
A gross miscommunication leads to her teaching basic English to the lonely widows and most of them turn out to be illiterates. During the classes Nikki realizes these women are much more interested in oral story telling, especially erotic ones.
While the traditional Sikh community considers this as a scandalous act, especially for widows to be involved in, the women (with Nikki’s help) continue their lessons. They try and keep it a secret from the ‘Brotherhood’, a self appointed moral police team, who take it upon themselves to protect the virtue of the woman in their clan.
There is another much more interesting sub plot involving another younger woman who had ‘committed suicide’ after disagreeing with her husband’s way of living and was generally ‘too modern’.
Did the Brotherhood have a hand in her death? Does Nikki’s attempt to bring in empowerment to these widows through erotica meet with the same hatred? You will have to read the Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows on your own to find the answers.
Book review of Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows
Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows is one of the most ‘un-put-down-able’ book I read so far this year. I read through it fast and still couldn’t get to the last page quick enough. I needed to know the answers right then and there. But sensibility prevailed and I didn’t peek into the last page to find the answers. The writing was crisp and fast paced.
Yes there are some ‘erotic stories in them but they are written tastefully (is that correct word here?) and not cringe worthy at all. But if you do not wish to read them, you can skip them and it will not hinder the flow of the novel at all.
It has been a while since I loved the side characters and Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows has a bunch of well written and quirky characters.
While I didn’t like Nikki’s holier-than-thou attitude, I was able to relate to her at some point (or did I?) coming from a desi background and all. She reminded of the small sexist things that we do because our tradition demands it and how hapless women who can’t and won’t fight against them are.
Also I was reminded me of the BBC’s sitcom ‘Citizen Khan’ and I am definitely gonna watch them again in a bit.
What worked for me
I loved the narrative pace and it kept me on my toes until the end. Truly un-put-downable!
Kudos to the author in keeping the erotic stories in taste and yet interesting.
I loved the well written and memorable characters.
What may have been better
I felt Nikki was a bit annoying and judgmental, at least in the beginning.
Bottom line
If you are looking for something light and funny, or something that might make think about thoughtful or erotic, Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows will fit your bill either way. The book is funny. It is fast paced. It talks about woman empowerment. It has it all. Read it already, I say.
Have you Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal? Do you like books that might hit a little close to your home? What was the most unputdownable book you read this year? Let me know. We should dish!
Why do you read? Are you trying to escape your world? Trying to visit a new place? Live new lives? We might have different reasons, but it is true that books take us to places where we have never been and where we want to be. Armchair travel is the best. And that is exactly what we do in our Flyaway Friday series. If you are not up to date with our travel schedule, you might want to take a look at our introductory post to the trip to Finland.
Have you got your bags packed with warm clothes? We are ready to visit the Finnish land through a handpicked collection of books set in Finland and / or by Finnish authors. So what are we waiting for let us get on with it.
1) New Finnish Grammar By Diego Marani
During the turmoil of World War II a wounded soldier with no memory or language is found near the dock Trieste, Italy. A German ship’s doctor provides him not only medical assistance but also finds the name tag ‘Sampo Karjalainen’ on him and recognizes it as of Finnish origin.
The doctor himself is from Finland takes it upon him to teach the soldier his language and helps him find who he is. When ‘Sampo’ reaches his country Finland he tries to find his lost identity once again. Did Sampo gain his memory and was he Finnish at all forms the rest of the thriller.
This book originally written in Italian has won three literary awards in Italy and took theworld by storm when it was translated into English in 2011.
What you can expect:
Learn about the Fins as Sampo does. Will make you wonder how much a man’s identity depends on his society, rather than him, as a person.
2) Troll: A Love Story by Johanna Sinisalo
The troll is a fantasy novel that is based on the Finnish folkore about troll. Mikael a gay photographer, nicknamed Angel meets a wounded troll behind the bushes takes him in on a whim. What Angel doesn’t recognize immediately is its aphrodisiac powers that the troll has over him and the people who came near them. Be prepared for the unexpected twist at the end.
What you can expect:
A short fantasy novel based on Finnish folklore that fits your LGBT card on the Reading Bingo.
3) The Core of the Sun by Johanna Sinisalo
Johanna Sinisalo is one of the bestselling as well as an awarding author that I can’t help but add another book of hers in the list. Set in the future where a sub species of docile and submissive women (called eloi) has been produced mainly for procreation and sex (like the Handmaid’s tale) and the defective set of women, ie the independent and intelligent women are assigned to do menial work.
When Vanna, an eloi who is secretly intelligent, realizes that she needs money to find her missing sister, she starts smuggling ‘Core of the sun’ a chilli pepper that the Health Authorities have banned as they are considered extremely dangerous. Will Vann find her sister or her addiction to ‘Core of the Sun’ prove more dangerous?
What you can expect:
This dystopian novel is to be added on your feminism shelf right away. Also will make you wonder about ‘Finnish weirdness’.
4) Seven Brothers by Aleksis Kivi
Considered as the national writer Aleksis Kivi, wrote out just one novel and it took him ten years – result The Seven Brothers. Set in the past when the seven Jukola brothers lived in the rural farm depending on agriculture and hunting.
The brothers are a rowdy lot and usually found bickering among themselves over binge drinking when they are not struggling to be self sufficient and be accepted by their society.
What you can expect:
While the Seven brothers is hilarious it is definitely not your average beach read. It is considered literature for a reason but it will make it worthwhile in learning about Finland and the Finns.
5) The Year of the Hare by Arto Paasilinna
Published in 1975 The Year of the Hare is a fable about series of accidents and a midlife crisis (to put it in plain). Kaarlo Vatanen, a journalist, and his photographer colleague meet with an accident and injure a hare. Vatanen wanders into the wood chasing the injured hare and returns a new man with the hare. He decides to walk off into the oblivion leaving behind his job, his wife, and his life.
What follows is an episodic tale of his adventure and outdoorsy life which he shares with the silent hare.
What you can expect:
Read about Finnish country life and the beautiful landscapes.
6) As Red as Blood by Salla Simukka
Finally a Young Adult fiction on the list. I can breath now.
Lumikki Andersson, a loner art student finds thousands of Euros washed and hung to dry in her school’s dark room. And three of her friends’ hands are covered in blood literally (hence the title). The bad guys want the money back and it is upto Lumikki and her classmates to try and make it out alive off this mess.
What you can expect:
A YA mystery trilogy set in Finland. That is pretty much it.
7) The True Deceiver by Tove Jansson
Noted as the creator of the Moomintroll fantasy novel series, Tove Jansson was one of the best selling writer and artist. The true deceiver is a thriller fleshing out the passionate battle between Anna, a gentle illustrator for comics and Katri who is a social outcast who cares only about her shy and slow brother. Determined to provide for her brother and to secure a fishing boat for him, she slowly takes over Anna an her life, only to find nothing is just simple as it seems.
What you can expect:
Prepare to be taken aback by her amazing prose and the darkness of human mind.
I hope these books from Finland and about Fins will keep you busy until my post where one of the Finnish blogger will be making a guest post. I can’t be more excited than I am to post already.
Have you read any of these books? Or do you have any other Finnish literature or beach read you wanna suggest? Which of these books interests you? Have you visited Finland? Let me know. Let’s talk more.
I am so excited that I can’t even type this post. Yes I am going on a vacation to Georgia (the country) in a day. Living in a country where the temperature shoots up to 48 degree Celsius in summer, I will be seeing the snow for the first time in my life. Yay me. So expect me missing a post or two this week (not really I will try my best to schedule them).
Around the blogosphere
So ready for the gossip from round the blogosphere?
1) I am a Spreadsheet enthusiast, but even for me All about book’s attempt to track everything and everything about the books read and challenges taken part is crazy. Just take a look her spreadsheet. Damn, this is so good and it is like a spreadsheet-heaven.
2) Much like the movies, there are books that objectify women and portray them as just symbols of sex and beauty. I found this gem on Write Women Right at Shruti’s blog – a perfect combination of satire and frustration.
3) Why does our TBR shelf hate us? That is because we keep adding books to it and never go back to them. Well, I can’t help you reduce the number of books but this list from Amazon on the 100 books you have to read in your lifetime will definitely add some more.
4) Yeah yeah we all hate stealing, lying and other vices but why do the laws change when it comes to piracy of books? Marta from The Cursed Books puts forth an argument in this post, playing the devil’s advocate. Check it out.
5) I know you all love quotes and here are a few I stumbled upon this week and they are about feminism. There can never be too many of them right?
8) Do you publish everything you write? Pl say me that there are a about 25+ unpublished drafts in your blog. The Orangutan Librarian posted the hilarious details about what is lying in her drafts. I promise it is a roller coaster ride there.
10) The sad news of the week is the Broke and the bookish posted a sort of goodbye message on their blog and it was heartbreaking to read that. These amazing ladies will still be online and their top ten tuesday meme will be hosted by that artsy reader girl.
On my blog
Missed any post from my feed?
Catch up with the review of Crooked House, an Agatha Christie novel
During the turmoil of 
6) As Red as Blood by Salla Simukka
Noted as the creator of the Moomintroll fantasy novel series, Tove Jansson was one of the best selling writer and artist. The true deceiver is a thriller fleshing out the passionate battle between Anna, a gentle illustrator for comics and Katri who is a social outcast who cares only about her shy and slow brother. Determined to provide for her brother and to secure a fishing boat for him, she slowly takes over Anna an her life, only to find nothing is just simple as it seems.
