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A review by thatjamiea
Delicious Foods by James Hannaham
4.0
This book was heavy. Really really heavy. It was so worth the read and part of me wants to poke around and see if some place like Delicious Foods ever existed but part of me wants to remain ignorant about that being possible.
The story begins with Eddie. Both of his hands have been recently amputated. I mean, so recently that the stumps are bound with rags and cords. Eddie is driving to Minnesota where he hopes he will find his Aunt.
Eddie, eventually, begins to build a life in Minnesota. He becomes a handyman (without hands) and leverages people curiosity and pity into a comfortable life. He doesn’t want to talk about what happened to his hands before Minnesota, but of course, we get to find out.
Darlene and Nat meet in college. Nat is dating one of Darlene’s sorority sisters, but that doesn’t stop them from entering into a relationship. When the sorority sister finds out, she curses Nat and Darlene who are ostracized and forced to leave school. They head to Ovis, Louisiana and Darlene becomes pregnant. They live a happy life until Nat is brutally murdered. Darlene blames herself and eventually turns to smoking crack, something she names Scotty.
Scotty prevents her from growing. It prevents her from being a mother to Nat. Scotty forces Darlene to turn to prostitution and one night she’s approached by a minibus and a woman named Jackie offers Darlene an opportunity. A place to live and do honest work for pay. A place she’ll be fed and cared for and the didn’t care how much time Darlene spent with Scotty. After promising to allow Darlene to call home (she’s left Eddie who is only 11 on his own in Houston where he spends MONTHS searching for his mother) Darlene never calls and Delicious Foods is nothing more than a labor camp sprinkled with crack rock.
When Eddie finally finds his mother, he gets wrapped up in Delicious Foods as well before they make a daring escape attempt.
Scotty’s chapters were fascinating and the entire book while hard and brutal, was excellent.
The story begins with Eddie. Both of his hands have been recently amputated. I mean, so recently that the stumps are bound with rags and cords. Eddie is driving to Minnesota where he hopes he will find his Aunt.
Eddie, eventually, begins to build a life in Minnesota. He becomes a handyman (without hands) and leverages people curiosity and pity into a comfortable life. He doesn’t want to talk about what happened to his hands before Minnesota, but of course, we get to find out.
Darlene and Nat meet in college. Nat is dating one of Darlene’s sorority sisters, but that doesn’t stop them from entering into a relationship. When the sorority sister finds out, she curses Nat and Darlene who are ostracized and forced to leave school. They head to Ovis, Louisiana and Darlene becomes pregnant. They live a happy life until Nat is brutally murdered. Darlene blames herself and eventually turns to smoking crack, something she names Scotty.
Scotty prevents her from growing. It prevents her from being a mother to Nat. Scotty forces Darlene to turn to prostitution and one night she’s approached by a minibus and a woman named Jackie offers Darlene an opportunity. A place to live and do honest work for pay. A place she’ll be fed and cared for and the didn’t care how much time Darlene spent with Scotty. After promising to allow Darlene to call home (she’s left Eddie who is only 11 on his own in Houston where he spends MONTHS searching for his mother) Darlene never calls and Delicious Foods is nothing more than a labor camp sprinkled with crack rock.
When Eddie finally finds his mother, he gets wrapped up in Delicious Foods as well before they make a daring escape attempt.
Scotty’s chapters were fascinating and the entire book while hard and brutal, was excellent.