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pastelhellion's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
A fantastic story of identity, consumption, capitalism and humanity. Also extremely funny.
hbrxnnxmxn's review
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This was not the cannibalism book I was expecting - in the best way possible. Despite having consumed a lot of this type of content (no pun intended) I’ve not seen it be used in this way. It was so fascinating to see a whole cultural identity be built around cannibalism, and it lended itself very well to explore tradition, familial expectations, religion, cultural identity, complex relationships with history - and how those all tie into personal identity and navigating the world. Each of the siblings explore this in different ways and with different results, which creates a thorough exploration on topics. Parts were a bit iffy (Mudd’s belief among them) but intentionally so. It would be remiss if a book so heavily focused on identity didn’t also include the ways privilege/oppression inform beliefs on others identities. So much to think about in this one!
rubyjubbbaddiel's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
shulkie's review
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A surprisingly funny grappling with our obsession with our own ethnic identities.
maya_d's review against another edition
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
nicovreeland's review
3.0
I’m honestly not totally sure if I liked this book or not. It’s a satirical take on “the prison of identity,” centered around a large “Cannibal-American” family as their mother dies and they have to literally eat her for religious (and financial) reasons.
The metaphor of inherited identity as something repulsive is not one I’m totally on board with, but the book does provide some good moments as the children of the titular mother go through the specific logistics of eating a person, and in flashbacks featuring their Cannibal ancestors working for Nazi Henry Ford.
The comedic moments are very hit or miss. There are good ones, but an almost equal number of groaners. One running joke involves characters asking Siri, the iPhone AI, questions, and Siri answering them— a bit that feels aggressively outdated and cheesy. A better bit involves running commentary between the “elder” cannibals and the “elder elders” which sharply satirizes religious dogma.
It’s hard not to compare Auslander to David Sedaris— he reads the audiobook himself, and sounds a lot like Sedaris both in voice and in laconic, soft-spoken style— but the comparison is not favorable for Auslander, at least in terms of comedy. Auslander has probably crafted a sharper, deeper narrative than sedaris’s usual stuff, but I’m not totally sure I’m comfortable with everything Auslander is saying here. I’d probably need to take a class, or at least write an essay about this book to sort it all out, but I didn’t like it enough to do that, so….
The metaphor of inherited identity as something repulsive is not one I’m totally on board with, but the book does provide some good moments as the children of the titular mother go through the specific logistics of eating a person, and in flashbacks featuring their Cannibal ancestors working for Nazi Henry Ford.
The comedic moments are very hit or miss. There are good ones, but an almost equal number of groaners. One running joke involves characters asking Siri, the iPhone AI, questions, and Siri answering them— a bit that feels aggressively outdated and cheesy. A better bit involves running commentary between the “elder” cannibals and the “elder elders” which sharply satirizes religious dogma.
It’s hard not to compare Auslander to David Sedaris— he reads the audiobook himself, and sounds a lot like Sedaris both in voice and in laconic, soft-spoken style— but the comparison is not favorable for Auslander, at least in terms of comedy. Auslander has probably crafted a sharper, deeper narrative than sedaris’s usual stuff, but I’m not totally sure I’m comfortable with everything Auslander is saying here. I’d probably need to take a class, or at least write an essay about this book to sort it all out, but I didn’t like it enough to do that, so….