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indoorg1rl's review
4.5
Alison and Patrick, who used to be famous, lived an isolated existence in an old manor house in Scotland. Patrick’s teenage daughter, Neve, flew from Australia to spend a year abroad with her father and the stepmother she barely knew. On the weekend of Neve's eighteenth birthday, her father insisted on a special feast to mark her coming of age. Neve’s mother, Shannon, arrived in Scotland to join the celebrations, and she brought a hidden agenda.
Gosh, I ended up loving this book so much! The way it was written was so clever, where the story happened off-page as much as on-page. I could be reading about one thing while it was actually a story about something else. Alison, Neve and Shannon all had their own secrets, both in inner thoughts and in practice, some more shocking than others. Some dark scenes were deliberately faded to black, leaving the details to live in the imagination of the readers.
This was one book that triggered discussions and analysis (perfect for book clubs!), and one that made me down the google rabbit hole. Metaphorically rich, this book deserved to be shortlisted for the Stella prize! This was one that would stay with me for a long time.
poppyholmes's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
3.75
booksweread's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
amydotreads's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
yesbethhh92's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
beclupton's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
serendipitysbooks's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Feast unfolds over a single weekend in a remote Scottish manor house. Alison, a retired actress, and her partner Patrick, an aging musician, live there and have recently been joined by his teenage daughter Neve. He has decided to hold a party for her 18th birthday, and her mother Shannon flies in from Australia for the occasion. The book is narrated by the three women in turn, and we learn about their past as well as getting to observe them in the present. All are hiding secrets which eventually get revealed. This book was full of layers, cleverly constructed (loved that we never heard directly from Patrick and only got to see him through the eyes others ), and well-written. It's also populated by unlikable characters who have and continue to behave badly in ways both large and small. With no one to root for the only thing that kept me going was waiting to see what awfulness would be revealed next. And because the characters escaped the worst of the consequences they should have had coming to them that was not as satisfying as I wished. While I appreciated the author's skill, this was a book that didn't mesh with my personal taste. It opens with a rather disturbing scene where a rabbit is killed and includes plenty of other triggers as well. Listing them veers into spoiler territory but check out Storygraph if you need to know more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Miscarriage, and Death of parent
narpetcards's review against another edition
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0