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She's Always Hungry
A teenager longs for perfect skin. A scientist tends to fragile alien flora. A young man takes the night into his own hands. Each of these characters has a desperate desire. Can any of them be sated?
Unsettling, revelatory, and laced with her signature dark humour, Eliza Clark's debut short story collection plumbs the depths of that most basic human feeling: hunger.
Unsettling, revelatory, and laced with her signature dark humour, Eliza Clark's debut short story collection plumbs the depths of that most basic human feeling: hunger.
Paperback
Expected publication November 7, 2024
About the author
Eliza Clark
4 books1,957 followersEliza Clark has relocated from her native Newcastle back to London, where she previously attended Chelsea College of Art. She works in social media marketing, recently having worked for women’s creative writing magazine Mslexia. In 2018, she received a grant from New Writing North’s ‘Young Writers’ Talent Fund’. Clark’s short horror fiction has been published with Tales to Terrify, with an upcoming novelette from Gehenna and Hinnom expected this year. She hosts podcast You Just Don’t Get It, Do You? with her partner, where they discuss film and television which squanders its potential. Boy Parts is her first novel. You can find her @FancyEliza on both Twitter and Instagram.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
August 30, 2024
though not as explicitly dark as her two published novels, eliza clark's first short story collection she's always hungry contains the usual absurdity and grossness clark has become known for.
there’s a range of different oddities to sink your teeth into here: in ‘build a body like mine’, a woman welcomes a parasite into her body to lose weight. ‘the shadow over little chitaly’ is written in the form of google reviews about the bizarre orders people receive from a italian-chinese fusion takeaway. there’s a teenager buying an acne treatment from the dark web, and an immortal female cannibal who rules over a new planet. this collection also showcases clark leaning into the sci-fi genre, with some apocalyptic-themed, speculative fiction scattered throughout. many stories also benefit from the inclusion of internet culture and humour, which was partly what made her previous novel penance so chillingly realistic.
it’s an unsettling if not outright weird collection, but if you’re an eliza clark fan, that’s what you’re here for!
rating: 3.75
thank you faber books for the advanced copy!!
there’s a range of different oddities to sink your teeth into here: in ‘build a body like mine’, a woman welcomes a parasite into her body to lose weight. ‘the shadow over little chitaly’ is written in the form of google reviews about the bizarre orders people receive from a italian-chinese fusion takeaway. there’s a teenager buying an acne treatment from the dark web, and an immortal female cannibal who rules over a new planet. this collection also showcases clark leaning into the sci-fi genre, with some apocalyptic-themed, speculative fiction scattered throughout. many stories also benefit from the inclusion of internet culture and humour, which was partly what made her previous novel penance so chillingly realistic.
it’s an unsettling if not outright weird collection, but if you’re an eliza clark fan, that’s what you’re here for!
rating: 3.75
thank you faber books for the advanced copy!!
Want to read
May 12, 2024Willing to put my hatred for short stories aside for Eliza Clark <3
September 13, 2024
I was given access to a sample from Eliza Clark's upcoming short story collection, a piece entitled "The Shadow over Little Chitaly' - I loved it. Clark's inventive narrative's structured as a series of reviews of the takeaway service provided by 'Little Chitaly' restaurant. It's a deceptively-simple concept but, as you might expect from Clark, it features a series of delicious twists - gradually shifting into the territory of the surreal and the absurd. I thought it was incredibly funny and incredibly clever. I'm desperate to read the rest of her stories.
Thanks to Netgalley and publisher Faber for an ARC
Thanks to Netgalley and publisher Faber for an ARC
August 8, 2024
The Shadow Over Little Chitaly: Eliza Clark's debut short story collection promises to "plumb the depths of that most basic human feeling: hunger", and I think it's kind of genius that the first and only story granted to us lucky few successful ARC applicants is this short and sweet little nugget, composed entirely of increasingly surreal online reviews for a Chinese-Italian fusion restaurant which may or may not exist, . It's not as overtly dark as either of Clark's previous novels - both of which I've loved - but its absurdism and its ambiguity hint at darker things to come. (Read 05/03/24, review written 08/08/24.)
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19/04/24 Reasons to live: New Eliza Clark, expected publication November 2024
02/08/24 Additional reason to live: Approved for an ARC of one of the short stories in this collection (review to come). Thank you Faber & Faber!!!
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19/04/24 Reasons to live: New Eliza Clark, expected publication November 2024
02/08/24 Additional reason to live: Approved for an ARC of one of the short stories in this collection (review to come). Thank you Faber & Faber!!!
September 15, 2024
4.5 stars
This was an absolutely amazing collection. I was worried that I wouldn't enjoy it as I'm really fussy with short story collections but this has blown me away and Clark is a truly incredible modern writer. The stories all have a slight eerie, horror vibe to them and explore contemporary issues such as body dysmorphia, assault, isolation, internet addiction and more. The only stories I didn't like as much were the science fiction ones as I felt like they didn't work as well as the rest of the stories and they lost me a bit with how the information was relayed, which is why I knocked half a star off. But the rest of the book was absolutely perfect and I absolutely loved it.
This was an absolutely amazing collection. I was worried that I wouldn't enjoy it as I'm really fussy with short story collections but this has blown me away and Clark is a truly incredible modern writer. The stories all have a slight eerie, horror vibe to them and explore contemporary issues such as body dysmorphia, assault, isolation, internet addiction and more. The only stories I didn't like as much were the science fiction ones as I felt like they didn't work as well as the rest of the stories and they lost me a bit with how the information was relayed, which is why I knocked half a star off. But the rest of the book was absolutely perfect and I absolutely loved it.
August 26, 2024
Disturbing content, consistently good writing.
Want to read
June 26, 2024HJBDSVGJKD!!!!!!!!!
OMG!!!!! NEW BOOK ELIZA CLARK?!!!!!!
I DEMAND AND WANT TO EXPERIENCE HEART PALPITATION...NOW
ELIZA CLARK....GO GO GO!!!!!!!!!
OMG!!!!! NEW BOOK ELIZA CLARK?!!!!!!
I DEMAND AND WANT TO EXPERIENCE HEART PALPITATION...NOW
ELIZA CLARK....GO GO GO!!!!!!!!!
Want to read
September 6, 2024girl dinner 🍿
Eliza Clark is back!!!
I am so incredibly excited for this short story collection, and as a person who is usually not a huge short story consumer, this says a LOT. I haven't encountered any author as compelling and dark and humorous as Eliza Clark, I have no doubts the full collection will be just as good as her other works.
I was lucky enough to get a little sampler of this book from NetGalley and the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review, so let me get right to it.
"The Shadow Over Little Chitaly" follows online reviews for a Chinese-Italian fusion restaurant that served increasingly absurd dishes, and may or may not exist. While not as dark as Clark's previous works, it's just as compelling and humorous. If the rest of the collection is anything like this one, I am sure it will be brilliant.
Eliza Clark is back!!!
I am so incredibly excited for this short story collection, and as a person who is usually not a huge short story consumer, this says a LOT. I haven't encountered any author as compelling and dark and humorous as Eliza Clark, I have no doubts the full collection will be just as good as her other works.
I was lucky enough to get a little sampler of this book from NetGalley and the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review, so let me get right to it.
"The Shadow Over Little Chitaly" follows online reviews for a Chinese-Italian fusion restaurant that served increasingly absurd dishes, and may or may not exist. While not as dark as Clark's previous works, it's just as compelling and humorous. If the rest of the collection is anything like this one, I am sure it will be brilliant.
August 19, 2024
4★ (For now, will be edited on release and changed based on the other stories in the collection)
Thank you NetGalley for the e-arc of the first story.
I’m very excited about this whole collection but I wanted to leave a review for the first story as of right now as well. This review will be edited once the book comes out - because I’m definitely reading it this year.
☆ The Shadow Over Little Chitaly
A very weird story about a very weird restaurant that nobody really knows much about. Written in Google review format. Pretty entertaining to read. I had a lot of fun and I enjoyed the writing a lot. Makes me look forward to the whole collection. 4★
Thank you NetGalley for the e-arc of the first story.
I’m very excited about this whole collection but I wanted to leave a review for the first story as of right now as well. This review will be edited once the book comes out - because I’m definitely reading it this year.
☆ The Shadow Over Little Chitaly
A very weird story about a very weird restaurant that nobody really knows much about. Written in Google review format. Pretty entertaining to read. I had a lot of fun and I enjoyed the writing a lot. Makes me look forward to the whole collection. 4★
August 18, 2024
It's very rare for me to find a short story collection where I enjoy every story.
But Eliza Clark has done it!
But Eliza Clark has done it!
Read
August 20, 2024“A teenager longs for perfect skin. A scientist tends to fragile alien flora. A young man takes the night into his own hands. Each of these characters has a desperate desire. Can any of them be sated?”
That tagline alone was enough to pique my interest in Eliza Clark’s debut short story collection, so I was excited about the opportunity to read a sample story in advance. The goal of a sample story is obviously to grab the readers attention and make them curious for the rest of the collection. I can wholeheartedly say: The Shadow Over Little Chitaly succeeded in that.
It’s a short story told entirely in a series of increasingly unhinged Google-/Tripadvisor-reviews for a Chinese-Italian take-away-restaurant, which may or may not exist, and/or serve calzones filled with banh mi noodles…
As far as sample-stories goes: it’s a bold choice. It’s alternative format makes me curious if more of the stories within the collection will make use of non-traditional structure. Unfortunately, the story itself did very little for me, as (due to this structure) there’s barely any story there to begin with.
As a standalone story, this is a 2/5-star read at best. As a teaser for what’s to come within this collection: my attention is definitely grabbed and I look forward to see what else Clark has in store.
Many thanks to Faber and Faber Ltd for providing me with a sampler in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
That tagline alone was enough to pique my interest in Eliza Clark’s debut short story collection, so I was excited about the opportunity to read a sample story in advance. The goal of a sample story is obviously to grab the readers attention and make them curious for the rest of the collection. I can wholeheartedly say: The Shadow Over Little Chitaly succeeded in that.
It’s a short story told entirely in a series of increasingly unhinged Google-/Tripadvisor-reviews for a Chinese-Italian take-away-restaurant, which may or may not exist, and/or serve calzones filled with banh mi noodles…
As far as sample-stories goes: it’s a bold choice. It’s alternative format makes me curious if more of the stories within the collection will make use of non-traditional structure. Unfortunately, the story itself did very little for me, as (due to this structure) there’s barely any story there to begin with.
As a standalone story, this is a 2/5-star read at best. As a teaser for what’s to come within this collection: my attention is definitely grabbed and I look forward to see what else Clark has in store.
Many thanks to Faber and Faber Ltd for providing me with a sampler in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Want to read
September 12, 2024Sample from Netgalley:
The Shadow over Little Chitaly
Consists of a series of reviews of this Chinese/pizza fusion restaurant. It’s amusing and a bit silly.
The Shadow over Little Chitaly
Consists of a series of reviews of this Chinese/pizza fusion restaurant. It’s amusing and a bit silly.
August 4, 2024
(ARC of short story, full review to come later)
'The Shadow over Little Chitaly'
Eliza Clark you never fail to amaze me. This short story is told through restaurant reviews for a peculiar takeaway spot called 'Little Chitaly', who seems to serve Italian/chinese fusion and delivered by a super speed Aussie dude. But as guests soon see, theres clearly a twist. Clark has such an authentic and engaging comic voice which ultimately pulls this whole text together. She is able to avoid the online writing cliche's by actually just being f*cking hilarious. ('They can suck my big clitaly' is a fave). You would wonder how she's able to create characters and a storyline through a bunch of restaurant reviews, and yet she does it! And it's fun!
Thank you to faber and faber for the ARC x
Im SO ready to pounce on this when it comes out in November - im normally an avoider of short stories collection but i'm hooked already give me more!
'The Shadow over Little Chitaly'
Eliza Clark you never fail to amaze me. This short story is told through restaurant reviews for a peculiar takeaway spot called 'Little Chitaly', who seems to serve Italian/chinese fusion and delivered by a super speed Aussie dude. But as guests soon see, theres clearly a twist. Clark has such an authentic and engaging comic voice which ultimately pulls this whole text together. She is able to avoid the online writing cliche's by actually just being f*cking hilarious. ('They can suck my big clitaly' is a fave). You would wonder how she's able to create characters and a storyline through a bunch of restaurant reviews, and yet she does it! And it's fun!
Thank you to faber and faber for the ARC x
Im SO ready to pounce on this when it comes out in November - im normally an avoider of short stories collection but i'm hooked already give me more!
August 18, 2024
I knew I was going to love this and it totally pulled through. Fun and compelling! Total mix of genres which I v much enjoyed, especially the speculative stuff (of which there is much!)
Review to follow - probs on publication bc I want to discuss with SPOILERS! For now I will just say thanks Eliza for doing it for the North East/Geordie culture; the word 'liftin' is now in print in a book by a major publisher wow. Absolutely mint
Review to follow - probs on publication bc I want to discuss with SPOILERS! For now I will just say thanks Eliza for doing it for the North East/Geordie culture; the word 'liftin' is now in print in a book by a major publisher wow. Absolutely mint
Read
September 14, 2024not usually a short story person but i did finish the whole thing so take that as you will
August 13, 2024
Incredibly grateful that I was able to read the ARC sample for this on NetGalley!
She’s not hungry is a collection of short stories by Eliza Clark.
The first story:
“The Shadow Over Little Chitaly”
Is based on a suspicious justeats takeaway restaurant that specialises in combining Chinese and Italian food together.
The writing is in the style of reviews for the restaurant and is an easy read, it flows very nicely!
The story in itself had me laughing out loud, especially at poor Hannah who seems to keep going back, maybe one day she’ll uncover the mystery of Little Chitaly!
Safe to say I’m excited to read the finished product if it’s anything like this one!
Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 - will probably change to 5⭐️ once I’ve read the full book when published
She’s not hungry is a collection of short stories by Eliza Clark.
The first story:
“The Shadow Over Little Chitaly”
Is based on a suspicious justeats takeaway restaurant that specialises in combining Chinese and Italian food together.
The writing is in the style of reviews for the restaurant and is an easy read, it flows very nicely!
The story in itself had me laughing out loud, especially at poor Hannah who seems to keep going back, maybe one day she’ll uncover the mystery of Little Chitaly!
Safe to say I’m excited to read the finished product if it’s anything like this one!
Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 - will probably change to 5⭐️ once I’ve read the full book when published
Read
August 19, 2024The ARC I have been kindly given only contained one of the short stories but I already know I will love the whole collection! If you love Black Mirror like I do, this one is for you!
August 31, 2024
3.25 stars
Thank you Harper Perennial for an advanced copy of this book <33
She’s Always Hungry is a weird, bleak, gore-y, real but not so real short story collection which explores personal themes along with a lot of broader societal themes like the perceptions of beauty, patriarchy (and if it was reversed), human vices (like most of them), global warming, the notion of power etc.etc. which are weaved within these absolutely bizarre stories.
I liked the author’s vision for the book — the way the stories touched genres like fantasy and sci-fi ever so slightly, while still maintaining their true essence of social commentary was something that gave me fresh perspective on each of these issues. I personally love short stories and it’s truly so amazing to see such a small piece of media have such a big impact on you — and that’s the beauty of it all I think.
I loved two stories from this collection ‘She’s Always Hungry’ and ‘Extinction Event’. [Also honorary mentions to ‘Shake Well’, ‘The Shadow Over Chitaly’, and ‘Hollow Bones’.]
She’s Always Hungry explores a matriarchal society and what would happen if women created outlandish rules for their communities to follow. The women in this story create their own terms of addressing each other, their own myths and legends, and societal roles for the different genders, and men are essentially seen as breeding machines. I liked how this short story had it’s own sub-plot while having the overarching plot of a matriarchal society. It was a little crazy and big brained and I was so so impressed.
Extinction Event is set in a world where pollution has marred the world to a degree that the Earth is about to self-destruct. This story was a horrifying reality check of the lengths humans would go to to hide from their mistakes, and the further destruction they’re willing to bring about to “make up” for their previous ones. It also traverses through this system of hierarchy that we’ve built and somehow sworn to stuck by, and how authority figures will only do what they want. The moral of the story was that we’re fucked so that’s that.
I did rate this book higher when I just finished it but the rating solely dropped because I really disliked this one short story which made me go all 😲😱😶😐🫤😑. I’m trying to give an unbiased review but that story was so long and did not make any sense and in case anyone has read this book as well, do you want to guess lol.
Overall, this was a decent collection of stories but it’s not my favourite one I’ve read so far. I think some stories were very simple in premise and execution and didn’t make feel like ‘omg I’m so impressed’. I also think that only if the stories were a little longer, maybe the plot would’ve had more dimension instead of just the characters (also no, this was not a no plots, just vibes book and I feel as if that often times defeats the purpose of a short story). Honestly, if you’ve never read a short story collection, I would and would not recommend this to you based on the vibe you’re going for. (Eliza Clark said stay weird and quirky with this book.)
I would recommend this book if:
-you were really into alien conspiracies as a teenager
-mermaids are real
-women can do no wrong (or vice versa but it’s okay)
-you use zomato reviews (or any other dine in/food delivery platform reviews) as a past time
Thank you Harper Perennial for an advanced copy of this book <33
She’s Always Hungry is a weird, bleak, gore-y, real but not so real short story collection which explores personal themes along with a lot of broader societal themes like the perceptions of beauty, patriarchy (and if it was reversed), human vices (like most of them), global warming, the notion of power etc.etc. which are weaved within these absolutely bizarre stories.
I liked the author’s vision for the book — the way the stories touched genres like fantasy and sci-fi ever so slightly, while still maintaining their true essence of social commentary was something that gave me fresh perspective on each of these issues. I personally love short stories and it’s truly so amazing to see such a small piece of media have such a big impact on you — and that’s the beauty of it all I think.
I loved two stories from this collection ‘She’s Always Hungry’ and ‘Extinction Event’. [Also honorary mentions to ‘Shake Well’, ‘The Shadow Over Chitaly’, and ‘Hollow Bones’.]
She’s Always Hungry explores a matriarchal society and what would happen if women created outlandish rules for their communities to follow. The women in this story create their own terms of addressing each other, their own myths and legends, and societal roles for the different genders, and men are essentially seen as breeding machines. I liked how this short story had it’s own sub-plot while having the overarching plot of a matriarchal society. It was a little crazy and big brained and I was so so impressed.
Extinction Event is set in a world where pollution has marred the world to a degree that the Earth is about to self-destruct. This story was a horrifying reality check of the lengths humans would go to to hide from their mistakes, and the further destruction they’re willing to bring about to “make up” for their previous ones. It also traverses through this system of hierarchy that we’ve built and somehow sworn to stuck by, and how authority figures will only do what they want. The moral of the story was that we’re fucked so that’s that.
I did rate this book higher when I just finished it but the rating solely dropped because I really disliked this one short story which made me go all 😲😱😶😐🫤😑. I’m trying to give an unbiased review but that story was so long and did not make any sense and in case anyone has read this book as well, do you want to guess lol.
Overall, this was a decent collection of stories but it’s not my favourite one I’ve read so far. I think some stories were very simple in premise and execution and didn’t make feel like ‘omg I’m so impressed’. I also think that only if the stories were a little longer, maybe the plot would’ve had more dimension instead of just the characters (also no, this was not a no plots, just vibes book and I feel as if that often times defeats the purpose of a short story). Honestly, if you’ve never read a short story collection, I would and would not recommend this to you based on the vibe you’re going for. (Eliza Clark said stay weird and quirky with this book.)
I would recommend this book if:
-you were really into alien conspiracies as a teenager
-mermaids are real
-women can do no wrong (or vice versa but it’s okay)
-you use zomato reviews (or any other dine in/food delivery platform reviews) as a past time
September 7, 2024
I was kindly given a sample ARC of one of the stories in this collection (‘The Shadow Over Little Chitaly’) by Faber via NetGalley in return for an honest review. Whilst I haven’t yet read the full book, I am very excited for the full release!
I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Shadow Over Little Chitaly (one of the short stories within this new collection). Following the often absurd experiences of customers at a fictional Chinese-Italian fusion takeaway, this story was gripping and very original. Clark tells the story through a very unique narrative style by providing descriptions of meals, customer service experiences, and communication issues through a series of Google Reviews (or reviews on a similar platform). What I really enjoyed about this story was that it managed to push the bounds of acceptable reality whilst also being humorous (I laughed out loud on the bus whilst reading!).
I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Shadow Over Little Chitaly (one of the short stories within this new collection). Following the often absurd experiences of customers at a fictional Chinese-Italian fusion takeaway, this story was gripping and very original. Clark tells the story through a very unique narrative style by providing descriptions of meals, customer service experiences, and communication issues through a series of Google Reviews (or reviews on a similar platform). What I really enjoyed about this story was that it managed to push the bounds of acceptable reality whilst also being humorous (I laughed out loud on the bus whilst reading!).
August 8, 2024
I’m not usually a fan of short stories because they cut off right when you’re invested but for Eliza Clark, you make the exception, right?
Well, reader, it happened again, I got fully invested in the story and it ended, the excerpt ended and I wanted to continue reading the rest of the book. Except this time I’m not upset, I’m very excited for November 7th, when this releases so that I can devour this in its entirety!
Thank you so much to Faber & Faber for the chance to read this excerpt before the book is released! 🩷❤️ #NetGalley #ShesAlwaysHungry
Well, reader, it happened again, I got fully invested in the story and it ended, the excerpt ended and I wanted to continue reading the rest of the book. Except this time I’m not upset, I’m very excited for November 7th, when this releases so that I can devour this in its entirety!
Thank you so much to Faber & Faber for the chance to read this excerpt before the book is released! 🩷❤️ #NetGalley #ShesAlwaysHungry
August 15, 2024
My dislike of short story collections conflicting with my love for Eliza’s mind
September 1, 2024
I just don’t think short stories are for me sadly…
August 4, 2024
Received an ARC from Faber.
OH MY GOD. the range of themes, plots, and forms of narrative in this are stunning. I've read a lot of short story collections and this is now one of my all timers! All dark and twisted and gorgeous, some reminiscent of Boy Parts and Penance, some others remind me of Becky Chambers, some are completely new and exciting. A fabulous read!
OH MY GOD. the range of themes, plots, and forms of narrative in this are stunning. I've read a lot of short story collections and this is now one of my all timers! All dark and twisted and gorgeous, some reminiscent of Boy Parts and Penance, some others remind me of Becky Chambers, some are completely new and exciting. A fabulous read!
September 9, 2024
Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for a taster story. Loved it, NEED MORE!
August 1, 2024
sensational ugh eliza clark is so talented
August 9, 2024
Eliza Clark’s "The Shadow Over Little Chitaly" is a uniquely compelling short story that really packs a punch. Uniquely through restaurant reviews for a peculiar takeaway spot named 'Little Chitaly,' the customers of this ‘restaurant’ explain the unusual food, inexplicable Austrailian accents, and suspiciously quick delivery.
The writing is fun and weirdly believable. I’m impressed how Clark has managed to build distinguishable characters/voices in the different reviews. It’s definitely a good story and I’m looking forward to reading the rest!
Thank you to Faber and Net Galley for this advanced copy.
The writing is fun and weirdly believable. I’m impressed how Clark has managed to build distinguishable characters/voices in the different reviews. It’s definitely a good story and I’m looking forward to reading the rest!
Thank you to Faber and Net Galley for this advanced copy.
August 20, 2024
4.5
Amazing short story collection, the best I’ve ever read I think.
This truly felt like a writer exploring and having fun and I thoroughly enjoyed it. From poignant to stomach churning to truly triggering this collection really had it all.
The only issue I could foresee is putting all the trigger warnings at the end of the book rather than at the front or before each story because some excerpts were truly upsetting.
Amazing short story collection, the best I’ve ever read I think.
This truly felt like a writer exploring and having fun and I thoroughly enjoyed it. From poignant to stomach churning to truly triggering this collection really had it all.
The only issue I could foresee is putting all the trigger warnings at the end of the book rather than at the front or before each story because some excerpts were truly upsetting.
August 14, 2024
Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC opportunity. However, this was very odd.
This is the 1st time an ARC has only been a small portion of a book and I have to say, if the rest of the book is like the sample then I don't have high hopes for it.
If I wanted to read bad food reviews then I'd just check out the JustEat website and pick a crappy restaurant. Thumbs down from me.
This is the 1st time an ARC has only been a small portion of a book and I have to say, if the rest of the book is like the sample then I don't have high hopes for it.
If I wanted to read bad food reviews then I'd just check out the JustEat website and pick a crappy restaurant. Thumbs down from me.
September 13, 2024
Eliza Clark's debut short story collection is a masterclass in dark humor, visceral storytelling, and unflinching explorations of human hunger. This bold and visionary work cements Clark's status as a fearless and innovative writer.
Each story in the collection is a razor-sharp examination of our most primal desires, from the literal (a woman hosting a parasite) to the metaphorical (a teenager's quest for flawless skin). Clark's prose is both lyrical and unsettling, conjuring an atmosphere of creeping unease that lingers long after the final page is turned.
The collection's strength lies in its versatility, effortlessly shifting between genres and tones while maintaining a cohesive narrative thread. Clark's characters are multidimensional and relatable, their struggles and triumphs rendered with unflinching honesty.
Standouts include the opening story, which sets the tone for the collection's exploration of bodily autonomy and the blurring of boundaries, and the haunting tale of the scientist tending to alien flora, which raises poignant questions about our responsibility to the natural world.
Throughout, Clark's signature dark humor adds a layer of complexity, making even the most uncomfortable themes palatable. This is a collection that will appeal to fans of Carmen Maria Machado, Ottessa Moshfegh, and anyone who revels in the unconventional.
Recommendation: For readers who crave bold, genre-pushing fiction that lingers in the psyche long after the final page is turned. Be prepared for a wild ride into the depths of human hunger.
Each story in the collection is a razor-sharp examination of our most primal desires, from the literal (a woman hosting a parasite) to the metaphorical (a teenager's quest for flawless skin). Clark's prose is both lyrical and unsettling, conjuring an atmosphere of creeping unease that lingers long after the final page is turned.
The collection's strength lies in its versatility, effortlessly shifting between genres and tones while maintaining a cohesive narrative thread. Clark's characters are multidimensional and relatable, their struggles and triumphs rendered with unflinching honesty.
Standouts include the opening story, which sets the tone for the collection's exploration of bodily autonomy and the blurring of boundaries, and the haunting tale of the scientist tending to alien flora, which raises poignant questions about our responsibility to the natural world.
Throughout, Clark's signature dark humor adds a layer of complexity, making even the most uncomfortable themes palatable. This is a collection that will appeal to fans of Carmen Maria Machado, Ottessa Moshfegh, and anyone who revels in the unconventional.
Recommendation: For readers who crave bold, genre-pushing fiction that lingers in the psyche long after the final page is turned. Be prepared for a wild ride into the depths of human hunger.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews