Before the nightmares began, Yeong-hye and her husband lived an ordinary, controlled life. But the dreamsinvasive images of blood and brutalitytorture her, driving Yeong-hye to purge her mind and renounce eating meat altogether. Its 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 thats 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.

Winner of the International Booker Prize.One of the New York Timess 100 Best Books of the 21st Century.