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A review by oliviapengle
Eat Only When You're Hungry by Lindsay Hunter
5.0
Having thought that [b:Ugly Girls|20613663|Ugly Girls|Lindsay Hunter|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1396823666s/20613663.jpg|39895011] was alright, but not great, I was not expecting Hunter's [b:Eat Only When You're Hungry|31450596|Eat Only When You're Hungry|Lindsay Hunter|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1481727540s/31450596.jpg|52153485] to be so... so, perfect. For me, this is the American novel. (Hear me out!)
In Hunter's novella, Greg tries to track down his son GJ who has been missing for three weeks. GJ is a drug addict and, while this is not the first time he has been missing, it is the longest he hasn't shown. Why the title and the brightly colored food on the cover? Greg is self-proclaimed as fat, and his relationship with food is as important to this story as his relationships with his wife, ex-wife, son, and parents. Greg's hunt for his lost son is driven by the danger GJ may be in, his feelings of responsibility as a father, an escape from his life, as well as rectifying his past mistakes.
The brilliance of Hunter's writing in [b:Eat Only When You're Hungry|31450596|Eat Only When You're Hungry|Lindsay Hunter|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1481727540s/31450596.jpg|52153485] cannot be understated. Through the self-deprecation of Greg, you understand what makes him tick: "He remembered that he'd forgotten his lunch. He remembered that he'd forgotten. Ha! That should be on his tombstone." Beyond the characters, Hunter evokes an image of the US as bright and dangerous, allowing everything - especially food and drugs - in excess. Her cultural references to fast food, cities, etc. don't feel superficial, they feel necessary to the story. This colorful and capitalistic landscape of the US is a critical component to Greg's story. The brilliance of this story is in ticking the boxes of many 'American' problems: overabundance of unhealthy food, the opioid crisis, high divorce rates, and excessive individualism. But it also ticks off a number of simply human problems: responsibility, parenting, marriage, aging, and everything in between. Take this brief but expressive interlude as an example:
This very well may be my favorite book this year.
In Hunter's novella, Greg tries to track down his son GJ who has been missing for three weeks. GJ is a drug addict and, while this is not the first time he has been missing, it is the longest he hasn't shown. Why the title and the brightly colored food on the cover? Greg is self-proclaimed as fat, and his relationship with food is as important to this story as his relationships with his wife, ex-wife, son, and parents. Greg's hunt for his lost son is driven by the danger GJ may be in, his feelings of responsibility as a father, an escape from his life, as well as rectifying his past mistakes.
"Greg stepped on the gas, moving the RV up from 50 to 60. Memory Lane always made him impatient. If he could just get to GJ, if he could just find him. At the very least, he'd be able to put his arms around his son. Rock bottom, but together. Together at rock bottom."
The brilliance of Hunter's writing in [b:Eat Only When You're Hungry|31450596|Eat Only When You're Hungry|Lindsay Hunter|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1481727540s/31450596.jpg|52153485] cannot be understated. Through the self-deprecation of Greg, you understand what makes him tick: "He remembered that he'd forgotten his lunch. He remembered that he'd forgotten. Ha! That should be on his tombstone." Beyond the characters, Hunter evokes an image of the US as bright and dangerous, allowing everything - especially food and drugs - in excess. Her cultural references to fast food, cities, etc. don't feel superficial, they feel necessary to the story. This colorful and capitalistic landscape of the US is a critical component to Greg's story. The brilliance of this story is in ticking the boxes of many 'American' problems: overabundance of unhealthy food, the opioid crisis, high divorce rates, and excessive individualism. But it also ticks off a number of simply human problems: responsibility, parenting, marriage, aging, and everything in between. Take this brief but expressive interlude as an example:
"The shitty blue truck. The shitty brown car. A slightly less shitty red car. Kisses with tongue, then kisses with no tongue, then no kisses. A silver convertible. Kmart photo shoots, comb marks in his and GJ's hair. Fabric ties, silk ties. Their beer phase. Neighbors, friends. Inside jokes. Their wine phase. Innuendo, endless innuendo. Working late, working weekends, 'working.' Cocktail phase. Road trips, car games, buckets of ice in the motel hallway. Their highball, straight-up phase. Dad, can I have a sip? Sure. Mom, can I try? Sure. Picnics, evening television, yelling. The blinking VCR clock. Eight o'clock. EIGHT OH ONE! Sex, mean sex. Lingerie for Christmas, the wrong kind. Shoulders and neck stiffening to cement. Can you? Can you just? Jesus Christ. I'm trying as hard as I can. Nine o'clock, ten o'clock, blink, blink, blink. Dad? Mom? Mom, where's Dad? Dad, is Mom okay? Shut up, kid."
This very well may be my favorite book this year.