Just Read: “The Fall” (Camus) and “The Vegetarian” (Kang)

Two notable novels of crisis from two Nobel laureates.

“The Fall” is written as several monologue-conversations by a lawyer who “practices” at a seedy bar in Amsterdam’s red-light district. He recounts his early professional life as a defender of the needy both in and out of the courtroom. A series of events cause him to realize that all of these actions were an act that led to self-righteousness and the accumulation of status. He falls into debauchery, retreats from society, and becomes involved in a few minor military skirmishes to find reprieve. In the end, he must face the absurd notion that even the best intentions do not always lead to innocence and good deeds, with guilt being the burden of consciousness (and some Kierkegaard stuff).

“The Vegetarian” details the unraveling of a family when a daughter has nightmares and becomes a vegetarian. The novel consists of three parts consisting of 1) Yeong-Hye becoming a vegetarian and her marriage unraveling, 2)Yeong-Hye’s brother-in-law making an art film surrounding her, and his marriage unraveling, 3) Yeong-Hye and her sister at a psychiatric hospital while Yeong-Hye is being treated for anorexia and schizophrenia. This novel contains (in often graphic and unsettling detail) people reaching their breaking point when trying to manage societal expectations for family life and career success. The male characters all want control as they deal with intense pressure in the workplace. The women want to escape the expectations of managing a household often while also working. The lines between sanity and insanity become blurred as the conforming to social pressures requires unnatural exertion with the only benefit being an escape from scrutiny and (often) violence.