rachelnevada's review
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The Thick and the Lean is a slim, science fiction novel set in a (literally) stratified world governed by a religion that demonizes eating and fatness as a kind of gluttony that leads people farther from God and closer to animals. The story follows Beatrice, a young girl living in a cult-ish theistic corporate community who has a secret desire to become a chef, and Reiko, a young Indigenous art student who is struggling to acquire wealth for her family. The two girls are tied together by their relationship to an ancient, censored text about a young kitchen maid.
I requested an ARC of this book because I enjoyed Porter's previous novel, The Seep. In many ways, these two books play off one another despite being set in completely separate worlds. In The Seep, a benign parasitic alien has led to the erasure of capitalism and greed and malice, which means the plot meditates on key questions like: What does harm look like in a world devoid of malice? What does grief look like? What becomes pleasurable when you can buy anything you'd like? The setting of The Thick and the Lean is nearly opposite of this (and much closer to our own modern world). Corporate greed has lead to wealth inequality and climate disasters, a project that is aided by a dominant religion that demonizes food and creates a class of people dependent on corporations for sustenance, rather than championing self-sustainability. This raises different questions: like what desires become queer when sex is normalized? What freedoms are we willing to give up for comfort?
Much like The Seep, The Thick and the Lean is a book meant to be reread and ruminated upon. Porter has a knack for creating complex and layered stories interspersed with biting witticisms, whose meanings often are unclear until the end of the book (or a second or third read). I'm eager to return to this one, and will likely buy my own personal copy for dissecting.
My one critique is that I wish Porter had dug a bit deeper into the treatment of disability in a world where physical health is presumed to be a reflection of your morality. Porter does (ever so briefly) touch upon this towards the end of the novel but I wish that that discussion was interspersed throughout the novel, rather than included at the end as an almost afterthought.
Despite this, The Thick and the Lean, remains a book worth a reread. I'd recommend this for anyone eager for a sharp critique of our modern world.
I requested an ARC of this book because I enjoyed Porter's previous novel, The Seep. In many ways, these two books play off one another despite being set in completely separate worlds. In The Seep, a benign parasitic alien has led to the erasure of capitalism and greed and malice, which means the plot meditates on key questions like: What does harm look like in a world devoid of malice? What does grief look like? What becomes pleasurable when you can buy anything you'd like? The setting of The Thick and the Lean is nearly opposite of this (and much closer to our own modern world). Corporate greed has lead to wealth inequality and climate disasters, a project that is aided by a dominant religion that demonizes food and creates a class of people dependent on corporations for sustenance, rather than championing self-sustainability. This raises different questions: like what desires become queer when sex is normalized? What freedoms are we willing to give up for comfort?
Much like The Seep, The Thick and the Lean is a book meant to be reread and ruminated upon. Porter has a knack for creating complex and layered stories interspersed with biting witticisms, whose meanings often are unclear until the end of the book (or a second or third read). I'm eager to return to this one, and will likely buy my own personal copy for dissecting.
My one critique is that I wish Porter had dug a bit deeper into the treatment of disability in a world where physical health is presumed to be a reflection of your morality. Porter does (ever so briefly) touch upon this towards the end of the novel
Spoiler
through Beatrice's new partner, the Ahinga gardner Cedric, who has spina bifida and uses a mobility aid. There is some hinting at ableism among the activist (who are championing a world free of disability) and some indication that people with disabilities are simply murdered,Despite this, The Thick and the Lean, remains a book worth a reread. I'd recommend this for anyone eager for a sharp critique of our modern world.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence and Eating disorder
breacommelafromage's review
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
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