Review by torpedotrout - A Certain Hunger

torpedotrout 's review for:

A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers

dark funny reflective fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Finished it earlier this evening and here are some thoughts:

Is Dorothy insufferable and unlikable? Absolutely. That's the point I feel most of reviewers are missing - she's a psychopath unmasked, with no point in charming the potential reader ala Humbert Humbert. Dorothy tries to convince you her canibalism is same as you eating a breaded chicken for lunch -

the way the Dorothy describes a slaughterhouse in detail with no warning whatsoever and just a chaper or so later describes killing one of her lovers in the same manner, starts mocking the reader by giving them trigger warnings

- the same way your ex boyfriend would try to convince you him getting caught red handed sexting your best friend is same as you checking out a random man in the street, presenting as a gotcha moment while deflecting the blame. She claims she doesn't feel guilt, yet constant demonstrative unashamedness (

and then that thing with Emma

) suggest otherwise.

I was taken aback by crude language at first - I'm not a prude but it felt edgy by edginess sake - I got used to it eventually, I took it as Dorothy's refusal of moral norms and the influences of being a magazine writter - afterall you need to catch the attention of the reader fast and then keep them entertained, and I felt I've read so many articles with Dolls' flair for words I gotta applaud for accuracy.

The murders are by far the most fun of the book (I can tell you guys there are murders right? After all she's a serial killer) - I love a good murder mystery and the author kept the suspense pretty well - shame the tone fluctuated quite a bit for me, as while I UNDERSTAND Dorothy can be preaching bore with a big ego, it gets juuust a bit too much sometimes, especially when it gets to sex.

The book takes a nosedive during the last chapters

I'm gonna be honest - I think I got the *point* of Alex, but I felt the execution sucked, and the whole section could be skipped without messing with the point of the book - oh she got a choice of love and she rejected it and it's presented parallel to Emma's letter? Yeah, it still hits the same point without it - we know Dorothy can love and that domestic life would suffocate her. we KNOW. show don't tell except you already showed us. don't feel like it needed a big turning point either

, but overall I did find it, despite all that I said, very enjoyable and easy to read, though I'll admit the premise sounds better than that book itself is.

Would recommend to fans of unreliable narrarators with unpleasant personalities - if you liked Ottessa Moshfegh's heroines, you might understand Dorothy more (I didn't say like). Also if you don't know what to cook for dinner and need some ideas - just open a random page and pray it's not about cutting out someone's buttocks.

Content Warnings