TRIGGER WARNING: This episode contains description and discussion about extreme violence, self-harm and suicide.
As widely discussed as it is nowadays, mental health remains a confusing puzzle, challenging for insiders to make sense of and even more so for outsiders to understand. In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, and as a tribute to a lost friend, Kim leads the talk about mental illness in literature with a long extract from The Vegetarian by Han Kang. By telling the story from the perspective of the husband and by portraying no characters as likeable and sympathizable, the author poses intriguing questions about how mental problems can break down a network of support and become taxing on everyone involved.
In contrast, Hà Trang brings in an insider's point of view through a reading of Sylvia Plath's "Lazy Lazarus." To others they may be shut as a seashell, but to themselves, talking about suicide is no taboo since such talk is what they struggle daily with. After all, it's difficult for everyone, so take care of and look out for your loved ones, even with a simple act of kindness.
