Reviews

Feast by Emily O’Grady is a novel about three women and one unusual weekend where a whole lot of secrets spill out and threaten to rock an already dysfunctional family.

Alison is a retired actress who is married to Patrick, an ageing though still popular musician, and together they live in a rundown old house in a village in Scotland. Patrick’s teenage daughter Neve has arrived to stay for a year from Australia. The story is set over the weekend of Neve’s 18th birthday where Patrick has decided to host a feast for the family including Neve’s mother Shannon who has insisted on coming to visit.

Initially the chapters slowly help us get to know each of the three women. They are each unique characters yet still appear quite normal. Once we hear from Shannon in the middle section, the women begin to unravel their secrets and the ugly and dark truths are revealed.

Feast was at times eerie, unsettling and uncomfortable. Not quite gothic but gave off that vibe. Initially the writing was very engaging and I was intrigued by the characters. But while this held a lot of promise it ultimately didn’t hold my interest through to the end.

Each of the women are complicated and yet you never quite get to the bottom of any of the characters. Some of the secrets were more compelling than others but it also felt like there wasn’t much redemption or conclusions. Which isn’t always necessary but here it felt like the reader was left hanging a little.

I did enjoy the gothic-esque style and the way the story was told from each of the women. The way the story unfolded with a mic-drop from Shannon in the middle which then leads to the untangling of the secrets was structurally interesting. Overall a book that I enjoyed but didn’t absolutely love.

Thank you to @allenandunwin for my #gifted copy. Feast is out now.

lauramorley's review against another edition

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5.0

There is something so beautiful and yet so disgusting about the way that Emily O'Grady writes. The Yellow House was one of the most amazing and yet uncomfortable and unsettling novels I've ever read and Feast, for me, continues the trend. Set over the course of just a few days, Feast dips in and out of present day and memory and describes the days leading up to 18th birthday party of Neve (one of the three female narrators). The events of the book are reasonably innocuous - preparing for the party, tidying the house, playing badminton, picking flowers, visiting neighbours, but there is a pervading sense of menace and unease throughout the book as the secrets these three women keep slowly eat away at them. The ending of the book feels like a slap in the face that you were waiting for, but didn't know when it would come. I listened to the audiobook and would definitely recommend!

thunderhead's review

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emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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