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A review by snailey95
Hunger by Choi Jin-young
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Thank you to Net Galley and Octopus Publishing for a free e-ARC of 'Hunger' by Choi Jin-young.
'My heart was on permanent standby, no matter where I was or what I was doing. I waited all day long, knowing perfectly well when we'd agreed to meet. Even when we were together, I was waiting for him. And even when he was the one waiting for me, I was still waiting for him. Does loving someone mean waiting forever? Even now, with Gu dead, I find myself waiting for him. Is he waiting for me?'
I really wanted to love this book - the premise sounded super interesting and going off of the multiple 5 star reviews, I was in for a treat. Unfortunately, it fell flat for me. Perhaps this type of book is just not my cup of tea - however some other lower reviews share the same thoughts that I had while reading Hunger.
Hunger follows the main character Dam and her boyfriend Gu - as stated in the blurb, Dam finds Gu about to die and decides to carry him home and eat him rather than let him go.
'If those loan sharks find out, they'll try to sell him for parts, no doubt. They'll claim his corpse and sell it off like a slab of meat'
The book swaps the perspective often and it's very confusing as to who is speaking when. (There were also no chapters/sections to speak of - I am unsure if this is because the book is in ARC stage or if it is the general format). However, it follows the narrator's thoughts and memories, presenting them as a stream of consciousness.
I enjoyed seeing Dam and Gu's relationship build throughout the book, and there was some really lovely prose, especially around their feelings for one another.
However I found it hard to connect to a lot of the themes that were brought up throughout Hunger. It felt like some really interesting topics were trying to be explored, but there was so little exploration into them at times that it felt a bit surface-level.
'My heart was on permanent standby, no matter where I was or what I was doing. I waited all day long, knowing perfectly well when we'd agreed to meet. Even when we were together, I was waiting for him. And even when he was the one waiting for me, I was still waiting for him. Does loving someone mean waiting forever? Even now, with Gu dead, I find myself waiting for him. Is he waiting for me?'
I really wanted to love this book - the premise sounded super interesting and going off of the multiple 5 star reviews, I was in for a treat. Unfortunately, it fell flat for me. Perhaps this type of book is just not my cup of tea - however some other lower reviews share the same thoughts that I had while reading Hunger.
Hunger follows the main character Dam and her boyfriend Gu - as stated in the blurb, Dam finds Gu about to die and decides to carry him home and eat him rather than let him go.
'If those loan sharks find out, they'll try to sell him for parts, no doubt. They'll claim his corpse and sell it off like a slab of meat'
The book swaps the perspective often and it's very confusing as to who is speaking when. (There were also no chapters/sections to speak of - I am unsure if this is because the book is in ARC stage or if it is the general format). However, it follows the narrator's thoughts and memories, presenting them as a stream of consciousness.
I enjoyed seeing Dam and Gu's relationship build throughout the book, and there was some really lovely prose, especially around their feelings for one another.
However I found it hard to connect to a lot of the themes that were brought up throughout Hunger. It felt like some really interesting topics were trying to be explored, but there was so little exploration into them at times that it felt a bit surface-level.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore
Moderate: Death