Han Kang is a writer who crafts intense and unforgettable stories. Her books often explore difficult subjects. She writes about trauma, violence, and what it means to be human in the face of suffering.
If you are drawn to authors with a similar approach to these kinds of themes, here are some writers you might find interesting.
Readers who appreciate Han Kang’s thoughtful exploration of human emotions and subtle storytelling may find Kazuo Ishiguro’s work equally appealing. Ishiguro is a British-Japanese author known for novels that examine memory, identity, and the quiet struggles people face.
His novel “Never Let Me Go” unfolds in an alternate version of England and follows the lives of three friends—Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy—as they grow up together at a secluded boarding school called Hailsham.
As they move into the wider world beyond the school, they begin to uncover unsettling truths about their own existence and purpose.
Ishiguro carefully reveals deep emotional layers, allowing readers to connect intimately with the characters as they navigate friendship, love, and the difficult choices ahead.
Readers who enjoy Han Kang’s contemplative storytelling and exploration of human emotions may appreciate Haruki Murakami’s novels. Murakami blends elements of realism, magical elements, and introspection, especially evident in his book “Kafka on the Shore.”
This novel follows two separate yet interconnected journeys: Kafka Tamura, a teenage runaway searching for his lost mother and sister, and Nakata, an older man who can talk to cats after an incident from his childhood left him changed.
Murakami weaves their paths together through strange encounters, surreal experiences, and thoughtful reflections. Readers get drawn into a world that feels both familiar and mysteriously dream-like.
Readers who appreciate the subtle yet intense storytelling of Han Kang may enjoy exploring the work of Yoko Ogawa. Ogawa is a Japanese author known for her quiet, haunting narratives that explore memory and loss.
In her novel “The Housekeeper and the Professor,” she tells the story of a brilliant mathematics professor whose memory lasts only eighty minutes due to a traumatic brain injury.
The relationship between the professor, his devoted housekeeper, and her young son becomes the focus of the story. Mathematics weaves beautifully throughout their interactions and offers surprising insights into friendship, kindness, and family.
Ogawa writes with graceful simplicity and sensitivity. Her gentle style reveals profound emotional truths beneath ordinary moments.
Shirley Jackson is an American author known for tackling dark psychological themes beneath the veneer of everyday life. If you admire Han Kang’s unsettling exploration of human psychology and society, Jackson’s novel “We Have Always Lived in the Castle” may appeal to you.
The book follows two sisters, Merricat and Constance, who live isolated in their family home after a tragic event claims the lives of their relatives. The villagers suspect and resent them, creating an atmosphere of intense tension and mystery.
Jackson blends eerie suspense with sharp insight into family secrets and societal rejection, making this story hard to put down.
Jenny Erpenbeck is a German novelist known for her concise yet vivid storytelling and deep exploration of human emotions.
Her novel “Go, Went, Gone” follows Richard, a retired classics professor whose quiet routine is disrupted when he encounters a group of African refugees camped out in Berlin.
Driven by curiosity, Richard starts conversations with them, slowly uncovering their difficult journeys and personal losses.
Through these human interactions, the novel tackles themes of identity, compassion, and belonging, echoing the thoughtful, intimate writing style that readers of Han Kang appreciate.
Readers who enjoy the haunting, powerful narratives of Han Kang might find a strong connection with Japanese author Kenzaburō Ōe. His novel “A Personal Matter” introduces Bird, a young man grappling with life’s harsh realities after the birth of his severely disabled son.
Ōe skillfully portrays Bird’s emotional turmoil as he faces difficult decisions, conflicting desires, and society’s harsh judgments. The narrative weaves through themes of responsibility, shame, and self-discovery, at times painful yet profoundly moving.
Through Bird’s internal struggle, Ōe explores complex moral questions with honesty and emotional depth. Anyone drawn to contemporary literature’s exploration of human psychology and ethical dilemmas will likely appreciate Kenzaburō Ōe’s work.
Margaret Atwood is a Canadian author known for her thought-provoking novels that explore human relationships and society under pressure.
Her novel “The Handmaid’s Tale” is set in a chilling near-future, where environmental disasters and declining birthrates lead to a radical political takeover.
The story follows Offred, a woman forced into service as a 'handmaid' whose sole purpose is to bear children for the elite. Atwood carefully depicts Offred’s struggle for dignity in a world stripped bare of women’s rights.
Like South Korean author Han Kang in “The Vegetarian,” Atwood shows how personal identity can clash with oppressive cultural expectations, creating a haunting narrative that lingers long after the last page.
Elena Ferrante is an Italian author who explores women’s inner lives and complex relationships with the same intensity and depth readers enjoy in Han Kang’s novels. In “My Brilliant Friend,” Ferrante introduces readers to the friendship of Elena Greco and Lila Cerullo.
The story begins in post-war Naples, a city burdened by poverty, violence, and traditional expectations. Elena and Lila’s bond grows strong yet complicated over the years as they face school, romance, family struggles, and social changes.
Ferrante’s sharp observation and clear storytelling capture the truth and confusion of growing up female in a world slow to change.
Jhumpa Lahiri is an author who writes thoughtfully about identity, cultural displacement, and the complexities of family bonds. If you enjoyed Han Kang’s exploration of intimate family tensions and quiet conflicts in “The Vegetarian,” you might find Lahiri’s work appealing.
In her collection “Interpreter of Maladies,” Lahiri presents nine separate stories centered on characters who navigate the subtle cracks within personal relationships.
She has a delicate touch with emotions and an understated style that highlights the inner turmoil beneath ordinary moments.
In one memorable story, a young couple visits India in an attempt to repair their fractured relationship, yet they reveal even deeper rifts beneath their polite manners and surface conversations.
Lahiri handles these delicate dramas quietly yet powerfully, creating vivid moments from seemingly ordinary lives.
Readers who enjoy Han Kang’s surreal and thought-provoking stories should definitely explore the work of Karin Tidbeck. Tidbeck is a Swedish author known for blending reality with unsettling elements of fantasy and strange occurrences.
Her novel “Amatka” introduces readers to Vanja, a government worker sent to a distant colony called Amatka. Vanja begins to notice strange inconsistencies in her new surroundings.
Objects lose form unless labeled repeatedly, everyday reality shows troubling cracks beneath the surface, and the rules that govern existence begin to waver. The novel presents intriguing questions about language, memory, and identity in a quietly eerie setting.
For fans of Han Kang’s “The Vegetarian,” Tidbeck’s “Amatka” creates a similar kind of haunting unease where reality itself becomes uncertain.
Eka Kurniawan is an Indonesian author whose storytelling transcends the ordinary and explores complex themes of identity, folklore, and politics. His novel “Beauty Is a Wound” presents an atmospheric tale blending magical realism and historical narrative.
The story begins with Dewi Ayu, a woman who rises from her grave after decades, returning to life in a village where her family’s traumatic past is entwined with the country’s turbulent history.
Through Dewi Ayu and her daughters, Kurniawan explores Indonesia’s struggle with colonialism, violence, and oppression. His approach to difficult subjects with profound sensitivity and rich imagination may resonate with readers who admire Han Kang’s “The Vegetarian.”
Books by Marjane Satrapi offer deeply personal explorations of identity, history, and the complexities of oppression, themes readers of Han Kang will likely appreciate. In her graphic memoir “Persepolis,” Satrapi tells the story of her youth spent in revolutionary Iran.
Through bold black-and-white imagery and straightforward narration, she captures life under a restrictive regime, from secretly enjoying Western pop culture to the harsh realities faced by herself and her family.
Satrapi weaves personal memory with larger historical context, leaving readers with a moving glimpse of resilience during adversity.
If the psychological depth and powerful storytelling in Han Kang’s works resonate with you, Satrapi’s distinct voice and vivid storytelling may offer similar satisfaction.
Natsuo Kirino is a Japanese author known for her bold exploration of human psychology, social pressures, and the darker aspects of society. If you appreciate Han Kang’s intense narratives and probing character portrayals, Kirino’s “Out” offers a similarly powerful experience.
This novel revolves around four women working night shifts at a boxed-lunch factory. After one of them commits a shocking crime, the group becomes entangled in a desperate attempt to escape suspicion.
Kirino captures the pressures these women face, both at home and within a relentlessly demanding society. “Out” builds layers of tension and explores how ordinary lives can veer into darkness under immense stress and isolation.
David Mitchell is a British author known for novels that combine imaginative storytelling with emotional depth and vivid characters. If you enjoyed Han Kang’s thoughtful exploration of human psychology and complex narratives, you might appreciate Mitchell’s novel “Cloud Atlas.”
This book weaves together six stories from different time periods, each with its own voice and atmosphere. From a 19th-century voyage to futuristic dystopias, the novel connects seemingly unrelated characters across centuries.
It’s a story about connection, identity, and the consequences of our choices, depicted through Mitchell’s richly layered prose and inventive structure.
If you enjoy Han Kang’s exploration of troubled characters and complex family dynamics, you might appreciate David Vann. In his novel “Aquarium,” Vann introduces us to Caitlin, a young girl who finds solace in visiting an aquarium each day after school.
There, she meets an elderly man who shows her kindness, but whose presence stirs up painful secrets within her family. The deeper Caitlin connects with him, the more she uncovers hidden tensions that reshape how she sees her own life.
Vann paints emotions vividly, offering sharp insight into relationships filled with unspoken hurt and heartache.