The Vegetarian

Though Korea may not be the Hermit Kingdom it once was (even our local ICA store has kimchi these days), I was still happy to discover a Korean bestseller in translation, especially one on topics that troubled me a lot when living there. Just reading through the first pages threw me back to a world of estranged marriages, unbendable gender roles and communal meals. Somehow, there is an unmistakable shadow of Kierkegaard between the lines. What it does to our souls when we objectify others. Like in most novels, there is a corresponding deep lack of communication; “if only the characters would talk to each other”. Yet, unlike my younger self, I am less certain about what words can actually say these days. Boundaries wearing thin.

In four days, we will fly to Billund and Legoland where we will celebrate Eddie’s fifth birthday. Afterwards, we plan to take the ferry back to Sweden and Gothenburg where I will turn 39 and hopefully get to sleep in a bit behind the red velvet curtains of Hotel Post.