A review by indoorg1rl
Feast by Emily O'Grady

4.5

Alison and Patrick, who used to be famous, lived an isolated existence in an old manor house in Scotland. Patrick’s teenage daughter, Neve, flew from Australia to spend a year abroad with her father and the stepmother she barely knew. On the weekend of Neve's eighteenth birthday, her father insisted on a special feast to mark her coming of age. Neve’s mother, Shannon, arrived in Scotland to join the celebrations, and she brought a hidden agenda.

Gosh, I ended up loving this book so much! The way it was written was so clever, where the story happened off-page as much as on-page. I could be reading about one thing while it was actually a story about something else. Alison, Neve and Shannon all had their own secrets, both in inner thoughts and in practice, some more shocking than others. Some dark scenes were deliberately faded to black, leaving the details to live in the imagination of the readers.

This was one book that triggered discussions and analysis (perfect for book clubs!), and one that made me down the google rabbit hole. Metaphorically rich, this book deserved to be shortlisted for the Stella prize! This was one that would stay with me for a long time.