Hello book club of /r/bangtan! In case you were on the fence about joining this month, Taehyung recently said that he read some of the works of Han Kang while he was in the military! That means if you also read Han Kang, you’re kind of one degree of separation away from Kim Taehyung??? Omg. 😭And you know who loves Taehyung? BTS. So maybe if we all become Taehyung, we can all meet the other members of BTS, too. But then we might have to dance, and most of us don’t even know Korean???

I’m getting ahead of myself. Anyhow, if you want to do some of the reflecting and deep thinking Tae did in the military, join us for our April Discussion of The Vegetarian by Han Kang trans. Deborah Smith! . . . If you’d like to join us next week or be tagged when the post drops, let us know in the comments!

📖 📣Discussion on ‘The Vegetarian’ starts on Apr 25, 2026

---

What do you think? No matter what you think, let’s hear the hot takes!

Below is a discussion guide. Some book-specific questions and some sharing suggestions!

Book Specific Questions

• How did you feel about the shifting narrative voice in this book?
• Whose narrative did you find most compelling? Most interesting?
• Does this novel speak to a relationship between nature and the human experience?
• How do you think mental illness manifests in Yeong-hye?
• What does this novel say about what makes us our most authentic?
• What does it mean to be authentic in the first place?
• How do the people around Yeong-hye affect her mental state?
• Do you think other characters in this novel experience mental illness directly?
• How does society shape what we see as ill and well?
• What roles do self-denial and self-repression play for these characters?
• Do you see Yeong-hye as an active or passive character?
• How does that change your view of her as a character?
• How does Yeong-hye’s shift in mental status change the lives of others?

B-Side Questions/Discussion Suggestions

• Fan Chant: Hype/overall reviews
• Ments: favorite quotes
• ARMY Time: playlist/recommendations of songs you associate with the book/chapters/characters
• Do The Wave: sentiments, feels, realizations based on the book
• Encore/Post Club-read Depression Prevention: something the book club can do afterwards (on one’s own leisure time) to help recover from the book hangover.

---

The Vegetarian by Han Kang trans. Deborah Smith

Before the nightmares began, Yeong-hye and her husband lived an ordinary, controlled life. But the dreams—invasive images of blood and brutality—torture her, driving Yeong-hye to purge her mind and renounce eating meat altogether. It’s a small act of independence, but it interrupts her marriage and sets into motion an increasingly grotesque chain of events at home. As her husband, her brother-in-law and sister each fight to reassert their control, Yeong-hye obsessively defends the choice that’s become sacred to her. Soon their attempts turn desperate, subjecting first her mind, and then her body, to ever more intrusive and perverse violations, sending Yeong-hye spiraling into a dangerous, bizarre estrangement, not only from those closest to her, but also from herself.

---

Whatchu need, twin? I need the BOOK!

See below for options on how to get the book

Author: Han Kang	Publisher: Hogarth
Original Publication Date: October 30, 2007	ISBN-13: 9780553448184
Local libraries (where applicable)	Amazon
Google Books	Barnes & Noble
Audible Audiobook	Spotify (included in Premium)

---

You call, I run, I’ll follow you to our Discussion this month

Thank you for reading and we hope you join us this month for a really great book! We always always love to hear from you, so please don’t hesitate to reach out if you need anything. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the book or the thread, feel free to tag me or any of the mods or BWL Volunteers.

• u/EveryCliche
• u/energysavermode
• u/mucho_thankyou5802
• u/repressedpauper

…and the r/bangtan Mod Team