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Tuesday, July 14, 2020

Book Review:The vegetarian by HangKang





This book is less than 200 pages, but it is definitely not an easy read. I don’t even know if I have understood the book the way the author wanted to portray to the readers.So if you have read this one, do share your thoughts.
The vegetarian is written by a South Korean author Hangkang and later it was translated in English  by Deborah  Smith . The story is about a women name Yeong Hye  who decides  not to eat meat anymore. She throws away all the meat from the fridge and when her husband ask her why she did this, her answer was I had a dream. ( do read the book to know about the dream)
The book is in 3 parts. First it was narrated by her husband second her brother in law and then her sister.
Its like the sky has fallen on to  Yeong Hye family just because she have stopped eating meat. ( In south Korean  meat is the main staple food ) The huband complained to her father, a family meeting was called because she stopped eating anything related to meat.  What shocked me was the adult Yeong Hye  was forced by her father  and was  shoved meat in her mouth. Infact when she tried suicide  and was taken to the hospital  in that time too her mother tried to make food for her which was non veg.  The day she left the hospital  sat on a chair naked in front of the public Her husband felt she needs  to get admitted in Psychiatric hospital and a divorce.

Frankly I didn’t understand the narration of the brother in law and his artistic views on Yeong Hye,  he had  this weird erotic vision which later shattered his marriage with Yeong Hye sister. 

The last narration was from her sister  In-Hye , though she didn’t understand her sister’s problem but she tried  to prevent people to force feed her  meat. Even the doctor diagnose her with Anorexia and Schizophernia , but no one is ready to accept her the way she wants to live her life.
What I felt is  the book is about how people get treated when they don’t follow social norms in South Korea. Even the husband didn’t even stood by her side in the times when she needed him the most.  Slowly Yeonh Hye gets admitted to the mental hospital where she  stops taking food completely. Its all because she wanted to live a life of non violence.

A person who enjoy  books related to realism or even about Human Psychology can try this one  out.

Saturday, July 11, 2020

BOOKREVIEW : You Beneath Your Skin by Damyanti Biswas



“Fiction reveals truth that reality obscures.”-  Jessamyn West.

Have you ever thought how others will interact with you if your looks get changed or de formed?  Yes people do interact differently.

Isnt the title so apt? You Beneath Your Skin?

The story starts with heinous murder in Delhi where a woman was raped  and then her face was burned by acid  so that no one can identify her.  As police gets busy identifying the body and looking for the suspect, the story shift to the protagonist Anjali , a single mother of an autistic child and also a psychiatrist who helps an NGO to rehabilitate victims.  As the city sees surge in rapes and acid attacks , Delhi police decides to investigate and look  deeper into it until, Anjali becomes victim herself

A serious crime thriller pointing out many ignored issues in our society and one of them is  "Parenting". - Neglectful Parenting.The story shows how a neglected children resort to dangerous substances like alcohol, cigarettes or even drugs

A story about extramarital affair, loosing trust on relationship, teenagers facing  peer pressure, bad parenting, rape/ acid attack, sex trafficking NGO, and  drugs , everything  fit like a puzzle in the story. Every chapter shows different shade of human relationship, in their true color. In case of Anjanli, her surrounding environment was different before she was  attack and a complete change in relationship took place when she became victim.

Though at times the story seemed  slow with all the personal drama, I was craving more for the investigation of the cases. Blame me for reading too much of  psychological thriller ,but the "Byomkesh Bakshi in me could sense the culprit at times.

  • Reading Level Easy
  • Strong Theme
  • Few Characters ( so  you wont get confused)
  • Recommended for Crime Thriller Lovers

The author will donate all the proceeds from this book #youbeneathyourskin  to @stopacidattacks  @projectwhydelhi

 Ratings : 3.5/5