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mandyboddy's review
3.0
I liked this book. It felt real and messy and human. It was funny and sweet and sad and told an interesting story or a broken family dealing with addiction
oliviapengle's review against another edition
5.0
Having thought that [b:Ugly Girls|20613663|Ugly Girls|Lindsay Hunter|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1396823666s/20613663.jpg|39895011] was alright, but not great, I was not expecting Hunter's [b:Eat Only When You're Hungry|31450596|Eat Only When You're Hungry|Lindsay Hunter|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1481727540s/31450596.jpg|52153485] to be so... so, perfect. For me, this is the American novel. (Hear me out!)
In Hunter's novella, Greg tries to track down his son GJ who has been missing for three weeks. GJ is a drug addict and, while this is not the first time he has been missing, it is the longest he hasn't shown. Why the title and the brightly colored food on the cover? Greg is self-proclaimed as fat, and his relationship with food is as important to this story as his relationships with his wife, ex-wife, son, and parents. Greg's hunt for his lost son is driven by the danger GJ may be in, his feelings of responsibility as a father, an escape from his life, as well as rectifying his past mistakes.
The brilliance of Hunter's writing in [b:Eat Only When You're Hungry|31450596|Eat Only When You're Hungry|Lindsay Hunter|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1481727540s/31450596.jpg|52153485] cannot be understated. Through the self-deprecation of Greg, you understand what makes him tick: "He remembered that he'd forgotten his lunch. He remembered that he'd forgotten. Ha! That should be on his tombstone." Beyond the characters, Hunter evokes an image of the US as bright and dangerous, allowing everything - especially food and drugs - in excess. Her cultural references to fast food, cities, etc. don't feel superficial, they feel necessary to the story. This colorful and capitalistic landscape of the US is a critical component to Greg's story. The brilliance of this story is in ticking the boxes of many 'American' problems: overabundance of unhealthy food, the opioid crisis, high divorce rates, and excessive individualism. But it also ticks off a number of simply human problems: responsibility, parenting, marriage, aging, and everything in between. Take this brief but expressive interlude as an example:
This very well may be my favorite book this year.
In Hunter's novella, Greg tries to track down his son GJ who has been missing for three weeks. GJ is a drug addict and, while this is not the first time he has been missing, it is the longest he hasn't shown. Why the title and the brightly colored food on the cover? Greg is self-proclaimed as fat, and his relationship with food is as important to this story as his relationships with his wife, ex-wife, son, and parents. Greg's hunt for his lost son is driven by the danger GJ may be in, his feelings of responsibility as a father, an escape from his life, as well as rectifying his past mistakes.
"Greg stepped on the gas, moving the RV up from 50 to 60. Memory Lane always made him impatient. If he could just get to GJ, if he could just find him. At the very least, he'd be able to put his arms around his son. Rock bottom, but together. Together at rock bottom."
The brilliance of Hunter's writing in [b:Eat Only When You're Hungry|31450596|Eat Only When You're Hungry|Lindsay Hunter|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1481727540s/31450596.jpg|52153485] cannot be understated. Through the self-deprecation of Greg, you understand what makes him tick: "He remembered that he'd forgotten his lunch. He remembered that he'd forgotten. Ha! That should be on his tombstone." Beyond the characters, Hunter evokes an image of the US as bright and dangerous, allowing everything - especially food and drugs - in excess. Her cultural references to fast food, cities, etc. don't feel superficial, they feel necessary to the story. This colorful and capitalistic landscape of the US is a critical component to Greg's story. The brilliance of this story is in ticking the boxes of many 'American' problems: overabundance of unhealthy food, the opioid crisis, high divorce rates, and excessive individualism. But it also ticks off a number of simply human problems: responsibility, parenting, marriage, aging, and everything in between. Take this brief but expressive interlude as an example:
"The shitty blue truck. The shitty brown car. A slightly less shitty red car. Kisses with tongue, then kisses with no tongue, then no kisses. A silver convertible. Kmart photo shoots, comb marks in his and GJ's hair. Fabric ties, silk ties. Their beer phase. Neighbors, friends. Inside jokes. Their wine phase. Innuendo, endless innuendo. Working late, working weekends, 'working.' Cocktail phase. Road trips, car games, buckets of ice in the motel hallway. Their highball, straight-up phase. Dad, can I have a sip? Sure. Mom, can I try? Sure. Picnics, evening television, yelling. The blinking VCR clock. Eight o'clock. EIGHT OH ONE! Sex, mean sex. Lingerie for Christmas, the wrong kind. Shoulders and neck stiffening to cement. Can you? Can you just? Jesus Christ. I'm trying as hard as I can. Nine o'clock, ten o'clock, blink, blink, blink. Dad? Mom? Mom, where's Dad? Dad, is Mom okay? Shut up, kid."
This very well may be my favorite book this year.
brittski's review against another edition
1.0
This book was such a disappointment.
Greg, an overweight retired accountant, goes on a journey to find his drug addicted son who's been missing for three weeks.
Honestly, Greg is a really fat guy who can't stop eating and doesn't really care what it is doing to himself. He's divorced to his son's mother, and his current marriage isn't all that great either. He finally decides to get his butt off the couch and look for his son, but in reality he only goes to three places.
This book just was not what I was hoping it would be. It made me quite sad actually. There was no plot, there was no journey, the main character barely changed. This could have been an excellent platform for facing and overcoming addiction, but alas it did not. I'm really thankful it was only 209 pages and I didn't waste a ton of time on it.
Greg, an overweight retired accountant, goes on a journey to find his drug addicted son who's been missing for three weeks.
Honestly, Greg is a really fat guy who can't stop eating and doesn't really care what it is doing to himself. He's divorced to his son's mother, and his current marriage isn't all that great either. He finally decides to get his butt off the couch and look for his son, but in reality he only goes to three places.
This book just was not what I was hoping it would be. It made me quite sad actually. There was no plot, there was no journey, the main character barely changed. This could have been an excellent platform for facing and overcoming addiction, but alas it did not. I'm really thankful it was only 209 pages and I didn't waste a ton of time on it.
meishe's review against another edition
4.0
For me this was more of a 3.5 but I rated high because of the writing. The high points where the writing style and the concept. It is obvious the author knows how to write and does it well with great insight and parallels. I also enjoyed the idea of exploring different types of addictions, how they come about, and the family dynamic.
Unfortunately the downside was that the high points fell flat, the climax at the end didn't make much sense and while I enjoyed the point that the ending made it wasn't a satisfying ending. it made the whole story feel as though there wasn't a purpose.
Unfortunately the downside was that the high points fell flat, the climax at the end didn't make much sense and while I enjoyed the point that the ending made it wasn't a satisfying ending. it made the whole story feel as though there wasn't a purpose.
la_yuli's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
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
2.5
kry_yang's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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
3.0
I picked up this novel expecting something of a satirical comedy, given its premise and "back cover" description. However, I was met with a slow-burn, depressing story with a cast of extremely unlikeable characters.
Our main character Greg is a fat, old white man who drives to Florida in an RV to find his missing son GJ. As someone who enjoys reading books with unreliable/unlikeable narrators, I was surprised by how... little I empathized with Greg. I was not emotionally invested in his character at all. I wish Hunter had spent more time developing the female characters in the story, like Marie (Greg's ex-wife) and Deb (his current wife)--I found their characters infinitely more compelling. Also, I don't know how this novel could be comedic in any way--Hunter's descriptions of Greg's fatness made me want to gag and cringe, not laugh.
The plot moves *very* slowly (and doesn't quite *go* anywhere, I would argue). Hunter indulges in flowery descriptions, both for physical settings and for Greg's thoughts. I think this is the type of contemporary fiction in which the actual plot doesn't matter--I felt that Hunter was more interested in exploring broad themes like addiction, family, and love, and the narrative had a "missing son" that simply framed this messaging.
Eat Only When You're Hungry forced me reflect on my own childhood, and the role my parents played in my upbringing. I do think there's some insightful commentary about love and parenting. However, the execution left a lot to be desired. For example, the book explores the idea of troubled parenting through flashbacks about Greg's life. These flashbacks were fascinating, but again, I struggled to relate to his character, so I feel like I couldn't absorb the "message" of this novel as much as I would have liked.
Ultimately, I'm leaving this book with mixed feelings. I think Hunter's writing style is incredibly beautiful--I love the way she personifies objects in the environment, and she does a fantastic job of capturing the atmosphere of a particular time and place. On the other hand, I felt that the elements of plot and character fell extremely flat. TL;DR: This novel is slow, introspective, yet heartbreaking read that leaves a lot to be desired.
Our main character Greg is a fat, old white man who drives to Florida in an RV to find his missing son GJ. As someone who enjoys reading books with unreliable/unlikeable narrators, I was surprised by how... little I empathized with Greg. I was not emotionally invested in his character at all. I wish Hunter had spent more time developing the female characters in the story, like Marie (Greg's ex-wife) and Deb (his current wife)--I found their characters infinitely more compelling. Also, I don't know how this novel could be comedic in any way--Hunter's descriptions of Greg's fatness made me want to gag and cringe, not laugh.
The plot moves *very* slowly (and doesn't quite *go* anywhere, I would argue). Hunter indulges in flowery descriptions, both for physical settings and for Greg's thoughts. I think this is the type of contemporary fiction in which the actual plot doesn't matter--I felt that Hunter was more interested in exploring broad themes like addiction, family, and love, and the narrative had a "missing son" that simply framed this messaging.
Eat Only When You're Hungry forced me reflect on my own childhood, and the role my parents played in my upbringing. I do think there's some insightful commentary about love and parenting. However, the execution left a lot to be desired. For example, the book explores the idea of troubled parenting through flashbacks about Greg's life. These flashbacks were fascinating, but again, I struggled to relate to his character, so I feel like I couldn't absorb the "message" of this novel as much as I would have liked.
Ultimately, I'm leaving this book with mixed feelings. I think Hunter's writing style is incredibly beautiful--I love the way she personifies objects in the environment, and she does a fantastic job of capturing the atmosphere of a particular time and place. On the other hand, I felt that the elements of plot and character fell extremely flat. TL;DR: This novel is slow, introspective, yet heartbreaking read that leaves a lot to be desired.
morgoagogo's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
savoringstories's review against another edition
5.0
I really loved this little novel. I remain amazed at just how much the author was able to share and develop in so few pages. The reader gets the opportunity to go on two journeys with the main character, Greg. The first is a physical journey in a RV driving from West Virginia to Florida in an effort to find his adult son who has been battling addiction for many years.
The second journey is through Greg's life, all of the decisions he did and did not make that brought him and maybe even his son to this moment in time. I put the book down wanting to spend some time looking around and within to get a better bearing on my own life. If you love analyzing decisions and examining the lives of the characters in front of you, then you will find something to love within this book.
The second journey is through Greg's life, all of the decisions he did and did not make that brought him and maybe even his son to this moment in time. I put the book down wanting to spend some time looking around and within to get a better bearing on my own life. If you love analyzing decisions and examining the lives of the characters in front of you, then you will find something to love within this book.