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A review by ghostboyreads
She's Always Hungry by Eliza Clark
4.0
"I hold his wrists - at first I stroke them with my thumbs - then I begin to fight back. I fight back when it really starts to hurt, when I feel the pressure building up behind my eyes, when my face begins to feel like it might pop. An instinctual action - because I would be happy to die here. I am happy to be murdered if it means I will not die alone."
Well. That was completely and utterly fucking disgusting. She's Always Hungry chooses to focus on hunger as it's theme, rather than food, this is an important distinction, because, as someone who isn't a foodie, reading long, needlessly drawn out descriptions of food can quickly become tedious. And, it's in this distinction that Clark gets it right, a craving for food isn't the only hunger present in the book, it's really about desire. This book is weird. It's strange. It's grotesque and intense and really gross, and it's the ideal sort of book for Clark to really show us her range as an author. These short, sharp stories make for an eclectic collection, they're all intense, vivid and so horrific, and while all of the stories are linked by this hungering, this uncontrollable desire, they each differ so strongly.
She's Always Hungry feels so vastly different to the previous works of this author, it's far more imaginative and experimental than her long-form novels. And, it is pretty easily readable providing you have a strong stomach, because some of these stories will absolutely make you wish you never had to eat again. This collection feels very fun, and it is entertaining but, there's also some real important commentary here. It's clear that Clark has a lot to say, because, there is a point to all of this, it's not just here to shock and disgust you for the sake of it. Insightful and thought-provoking, She's Always Hungry spans many different genres, giving all types of reader something to sink their teeth into.
Well. That was completely and utterly fucking disgusting. She's Always Hungry chooses to focus on hunger as it's theme, rather than food, this is an important distinction, because, as someone who isn't a foodie, reading long, needlessly drawn out descriptions of food can quickly become tedious. And, it's in this distinction that Clark gets it right, a craving for food isn't the only hunger present in the book, it's really about desire. This book is weird. It's strange. It's grotesque and intense and really gross, and it's the ideal sort of book for Clark to really show us her range as an author. These short, sharp stories make for an eclectic collection, they're all intense, vivid and so horrific, and while all of the stories are linked by this hungering, this uncontrollable desire, they each differ so strongly.
She's Always Hungry feels so vastly different to the previous works of this author, it's far more imaginative and experimental than her long-form novels. And, it is pretty easily readable providing you have a strong stomach, because some of these stories will absolutely make you wish you never had to eat again. This collection feels very fun, and it is entertaining but, there's also some real important commentary here. It's clear that Clark has a lot to say, because, there is a point to all of this, it's not just here to shock and disgust you for the sake of it. Insightful and thought-provoking, She's Always Hungry spans many different genres, giving all types of reader something to sink their teeth into.
"Keith drank a couple of beers on the beach alone and watched the sunset. His high was at its peak, the sky on fire, cotton-candy clouds swirling, curling, melting into a vast lavender sky. He started to cry. He wasn't sure if it was the drugs, or the sunset, or Tommy. Tommy. He thought about kissing Tommy on the lips. Tommy's tongue in his mouth. Tommy's teeth on his neck. Truths arrived to him comfortably with LSD, and those easy revelations would retreat like the tide as sobriety returned to him. "
Short story collections can always be a little hit or miss but, She's Always Hungry is an absolutely stellar hit. It contains all the unusual, absurd insanity that Clark is known for in her writing, while also bringing something so refreshing and unique to the table. This is an entirely unsettling novel, it's so completely unusual and bizarre and yet, it's so damn delightful. Clark is just, one of those authors who really knows how to write creepy, god-awful things that make you want to peel your skin off - Clark's writing is a beast that's preoccupied by desire and loneliness, and the horrible, sinking reality of being alive, and in this collection, that seems somehow even more chilling. I'm grateful that Clark has shown you can move away from a central food motif, and that hunger can take many, many forms.
"To serve me then be consumed by me is the greatest joy. Your mother does not love you, you are just a thrall to her. You are a servant and a sack of seed from which might spring a granddaughter. But I love you. I love you very much. They cannot deny you the ecstasy you'll find inside me."