Yeong-hye and her husband are ordinary people. He is an office worker with moderate ambitions and mild manners; she is an uninspired but dutiful wife. The acceptable flatline of their marriage is interrupted when Yeong-hye, seeking a more 'plant-like' existence, decides to become a vegetarian, prompted by grotesque recurring nightmares. In South Korea, where vegetarianism is almost unheard-of and societal mores are strictly obeyed, Yeong-hye's decision is a shocking act of subversion. Her passive rebellion manifests in ever more bizarre and frightening forms, leading her bland husband to self-justified acts of sexual sadism. His cruelties drive her towards attempted suicide and hospitalisation. She unknowingly captivates her sister's husband, a video artist. She becomes the focus of his increasingly erotic and unhinged artworks, while spiralling further and further into her fantasies of abandoning her fleshly prison and becoming - impossibly, ecstatically - a tree. Fraught, disturbing and beautiful, The Vegetarian is a novel about modern day South Korea, but also a novel about shame, desire and our faltering attempts to understand others, from one imprisoned body to another.
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Refund Policy
Refund Policy
if you are a UK/EU consumer, you have the legal right, under the Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000 to cancel your order within twenty eight (28) working days following your receipt of the goods or the date on which we begin provision of the services. Refunds for orders cancelled under the provisions of the Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations will be processed in accordance with your legal rights. For further information about your statutory rights, contact your local authority Trading Standards department or consumer advice center (for example the Citizen's Advice Bureau if you are in the UK). If you are a non-EU customer, please see our returns policy. If you are considering cancelling or wish to cancel a product you have ordered from us, please be aware of the following terms that apply:
Applicability of cancellation rights: Legal rights of cancellation under the Distance Selling Regulations available for UK or EU consumers do not apply to certain products and services.
The sale of customised goods or perishable goods, sealed audio or video recordings, or software, which has been opened.
Goods that by reason of their nature, cannot be returned - (Items such as underwear, where the 'hygiene patch' has been removed, or cosmetics where the seal has been broken).
Additional cancellation terms: Where Additional Terms and Conditions of Sale are applicable to any product or service you have ordered from us, these may also govern your cancellation rights and you should review these carefully;
Damaged or incorrectly supplied products: You should check all products you receive against your order. If the products you receive are damaged or incorrectly supplied on delivery then you must note the details of any damage or error in supply on the delivery documentation or if you are unable to view the items on receipt, you must inform us (by post, phone or e-mail only) within the seven day period. You must return the products to us as soon as possible after informing us that the products are damaged or have been incorrectly supplied.
Other cancelled products: If you want to cancel products that are not damaged or incorrectly supplied, then you must inform us of this within seven working days following the date of receipt in accordance with the Distance Selling Regulations or otherwise as soon as possible. You must take reasonable care of the products that you wish to cancel and not use them. Products should be returned in their original packaging or promptly at your cost.
This is not intended to be a full statement of all your rights under the Distance Selling Regulations. Full details of your rights under the Distance Selling Regulations are available in the UK from your local Citizens' Advice Bureau or your Local Authority's Trading Standards Office.
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