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A review by veeboothee
Eat Only When You're Hungry: A Novel by Lindsay Hunter
4.0
I went into this book with expectations that it wasn't going to be funny (as some reviews said it would) & was going to be depressing with no fairy tale happy ending - & that's exactly what happened. It's a quick read yet the story moves along at a good pace with brilliant style of writing from the author.
The book follows the story & point of view of Greg, a middle-age obese man who is embarking on a road trip to Florida in search of his son GJ, on & off again relapsed drug addict who's been missing for three weeks. The book's main issue focuses on addiction & not just one type. All forms of addiction were explored at one point in the novel: drugs, alcohol, sex, lust, love, food. I love how the author portrays the characters & how each are dealing with addiction, whether they were battling it themselves or watching their loved ones suffering. I also liked seeing Greg's point of view & how it went back & forth to the past memories & the present day, showing bits & pieces of how things unfolded for him, GJ, Marie & even Deb. Each seems to be battling their own demons, particularly Greg.
I couldn't help but love to hate & feel sad for the characters. Greg was an awful father towards GJ & a bitter husband towards Marie, both which were affected deeply from his childhood relationship with his mother. It was sad to see how his mother's hatred & jealous towards him led him down a downward path to other aspects of his life, from this marriage to the way he fathered GJ. He never wanted to become his mother & tried so hard to treat GJ differently but ultimately he did the same, neglecting GJ & leaving him/Marie for Deb. Then his guilt would take over & numerous times he would try to make up for his lack of involvement in GJ's life, either with money or lavish trips. And the only way Greg knew how to cope with his life was food, which ultimately takes over his life.
Even though Greg tried to make me feel hatred towards Marie, I felt mostly sad for her. She married too young & then stayed in the marriage for the sake of their child until she couldn't take it anymore. She ultimately took care of GJ on her own & got to see firsthand the battles GJ was facing through addiction - no wonder why she ended up alone & ready to move forward with her life. Deb, Greg's wife, was my least favorite character. I hated that she stayed with Greg when you can tell they were just together to stay together as if it was a routine that they both couldn't let go of. It did seem like karma for Greg that seemed like Deb & the pastor had a connection.
All in all, I recommend this book to anyone who doesn’t want that picture perfect family or fairy-tale ending. It is depressing, dysfunctional & at times, you’ll want to punch a few characters in the face or shake them repeatedly saying “Why would you do/say that?!?!” but it’s real & it presents real world problems that people go through now. Sometimes we need to face the realities of the world & this novel does just that.
The book follows the story & point of view of Greg, a middle-age obese man who is embarking on a road trip to Florida in search of his son GJ, on & off again relapsed drug addict who's been missing for three weeks. The book's main issue focuses on addiction & not just one type. All forms of addiction were explored at one point in the novel: drugs, alcohol, sex, lust, love, food. I love how the author portrays the characters & how each are dealing with addiction, whether they were battling it themselves or watching their loved ones suffering. I also liked seeing Greg's point of view & how it went back & forth to the past memories & the present day, showing bits & pieces of how things unfolded for him, GJ, Marie & even Deb. Each seems to be battling their own demons, particularly Greg.
I couldn't help but love to hate & feel sad for the characters. Greg was an awful father towards GJ & a bitter husband towards Marie, both which were affected deeply from his childhood relationship with his mother. It was sad to see how his mother's hatred & jealous towards him led him down a downward path to other aspects of his life, from this marriage to the way he fathered GJ. He never wanted to become his mother & tried so hard to treat GJ differently but ultimately he did the same, neglecting GJ & leaving him/Marie for Deb. Then his guilt would take over & numerous times he would try to make up for his lack of involvement in GJ's life, either with money or lavish trips. And the only way Greg knew how to cope with his life was food, which ultimately takes over his life.
Even though Greg tried to make me feel hatred towards Marie, I felt mostly sad for her. She married too young & then stayed in the marriage for the sake of their child until she couldn't take it anymore. She ultimately took care of GJ on her own & got to see firsthand the battles GJ was facing through addiction - no wonder why she ended up alone & ready to move forward with her life. Deb, Greg's wife, was my least favorite character. I hated that she stayed with Greg when you can tell they were just together to stay together as if it was a routine that they both couldn't let go of. It did seem like karma for Greg that seemed like Deb & the pastor had a connection.
All in all, I recommend this book to anyone who doesn’t want that picture perfect family or fairy-tale ending. It is depressing, dysfunctional & at times, you’ll want to punch a few characters in the face or shake them repeatedly saying “Why would you do/say that?!?!” but it’s real & it presents real world problems that people go through now. Sometimes we need to face the realities of the world & this novel does just that.