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jct_35's review against another edition
2.0
Beautiful writing and I get what the author was trying to convey-except the execution of it all just fell short for me.
alanfederman's review against another edition
4.0
A short, dark, but beautifully written novel centering around a retired, divorced, and obese father searching for his missing son. In many senses it's a road novel - the father, Greg, travels from his mundane home with his second wife in West Virginia to seek his missing son from his first wife in central Florida. Along the way we encounter bar flies, strippers and assortment of shady characters. But the father, Greg, reveals his past indiscretions and over-indulgences as he comes to grips with his son's failings as well. The author shows us images throughout the book that are so powerful and teach us more about the characters than any dialogue could - a "too-long" hug, crumpled fast-food wrappers, etc.
I can't wait to read more of Lindsay Hunter's writing!
I can't wait to read more of Lindsay Hunter's writing!
pagesandpints's review against another edition
4.0
So that's what radishes tasted like. Now he knew. They rotted at the bottom of the crisper drawer, they and the lettuce heads and the carrots in their peels. Deb pulled them out a month later, floating in their bags in what looked like lake water, scrubbed the crisper in the sink so it was clean and empty and ready for more bacon.
He guessed that's what sobriety felt like to GJ: a lurid, hopeful salad that he could not even pretend to choke down.
For such a small book, Eat Only When You're Hungry packs a serious emotional punch. Hunter's characters are all broken in their own way and yet there lingered a sense of hope throughout the novel as I found myself desperately hoping that they would each find what they needed to grab a hold of their lives and their broken relationships with one another.
There's something a bit voyeuristic about reading along with Greg's narrative and that definitely helped the reader to both understand and empathize with Greg, despite many of his flaws, in particular as a father to GJ. Eat Only When You're Hungry felt honest because of this brutality and is ultimately what I loved most about Hunter's writing style.
He guessed that's what sobriety felt like to GJ: a lurid, hopeful salad that he could not even pretend to choke down.
For such a small book, Eat Only When You're Hungry packs a serious emotional punch. Hunter's characters are all broken in their own way and yet there lingered a sense of hope throughout the novel as I found myself desperately hoping that they would each find what they needed to grab a hold of their lives and their broken relationships with one another.
There's something a bit voyeuristic about reading along with Greg's narrative and that definitely helped the reader to both understand and empathize with Greg, despite many of his flaws, in particular as a father to GJ. Eat Only When You're Hungry felt honest because of this brutality and is ultimately what I loved most about Hunter's writing style.
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