Plot: A woman’s decision to stop eating meat leads to a surreal transformation and a breakdown of her relationships. Why Read: This Man Booker International Prize-winning novel is a chilling dive into autonomy, societal expectations, and psychological turmoil.
Plot: Set during the 1980 Gwangju Uprising, this novel reflects on trauma, violence, and human resilience through multiple perspectives. Why Read: It’s a haunting meditation on the scars left by state-sanctioned violence and the echo of collective suffering.
Plot: A meditation on life and death, focusing on the narrator’s sister who died shortly after birth. Why Read: This poetic, fragmentary novel explores grief, loss, and the fragility of existence with exquisite simplicity.
Plot: A story about a language teacher who’s losing her sight and a student who has lost his voice. Why Read: It's an introspective novel about communication, intimacy, and the things left unsaid.
Plot: A woman slowly transforms into a plant, embodying themes of isolation and the disintegration of self. Why Read: One of her earlier works, it introduces the themes of transformation and body politics that she further explores in The Vegetarian.