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A review by mesal
Woman, Eating by Claire Kohda
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Read my full blog review here!
Woman, Eating was great. Both on an allegorical level and a very literal one: Lydia's life as a vampire unable to eat what she wants most—human food—and subsequently denying herself blood can be seen as a not-so-subtle commentary on eating disorders; her mother's whole existence can be replaced with the concept of Lydia's insecurities about herself and her place in society, because her mother is the root of these insecurities and also interchangeable with them, at least in Lydia's eyes. If one reads the story as it is, though, it's still engaging. As a Gen Z vampire, Lydia resorts to YouTube and Instagram to watch people eat food in lieu of eating it herself; when she's in a mood, she ignores all texts and phone calls in order to binge Buffy The Vampire Slayer on her laptop. Despite being a supernatural creature, she's true to life, and true to our lives in the contemporary digital age. Although technology in fiction sometimes seems to take away from the vibrancy of a more "natural" life, so to speak, in this novel it fit seamlessly.
Pacing-wise, this novel is pretty slow until it suddenly isn't. That's not a bad thing, at least in my opinion: the pacing reflects Lydia's own internal struggles with her identity, and when she finally figures things out, she makes decisions in rapid succession, because her fears have now been alleviated. She's pretty fun to follow around in her life between her studio and the Otter, an art gallery where she's completing an internship; her sudden impatience whenever her mother is mentioned allows the reader insight into why she avoids meeting her as much as possible.
Kohda explores a lot of heavy topics in her debut: identity, colonialism, the female appetite, vapidity in the art scene. While done meticulously and impressively, she sometimes falls into the habit of over-explaining the thought process behind her words:
Woman, Eating was great. Both on an allegorical level and a very literal one: Lydia's life as a vampire unable to eat what she wants most—human food—and subsequently denying herself blood can be seen as a not-so-subtle commentary on eating disorders; her mother's whole existence can be replaced with the concept of Lydia's insecurities about herself and her place in society, because her mother is the root of these insecurities and also interchangeable with them, at least in Lydia's eyes. If one reads the story as it is, though, it's still engaging. As a Gen Z vampire, Lydia resorts to YouTube and Instagram to watch people eat food in lieu of eating it herself; when she's in a mood, she ignores all texts and phone calls in order to binge Buffy The Vampire Slayer on her laptop. Despite being a supernatural creature, she's true to life, and true to our lives in the contemporary digital age. Although technology in fiction sometimes seems to take away from the vibrancy of a more "natural" life, so to speak, in this novel it fit seamlessly.
Pacing-wise, this novel is pretty slow until it suddenly isn't. That's not a bad thing, at least in my opinion: the pacing reflects Lydia's own internal struggles with her identity, and when she finally figures things out, she makes decisions in rapid succession, because her fears have now been alleviated. She's pretty fun to follow around in her life between her studio and the Otter, an art gallery where she's completing an internship; her sudden impatience whenever her mother is mentioned allows the reader insight into why she avoids meeting her as much as possible.
Kohda explores a lot of heavy topics in her debut: identity, colonialism, the female appetite, vapidity in the art scene. While done meticulously and impressively, she sometimes falls into the habit of over-explaining the thought process behind her words:
In the photo accompanying the article, artwork from what looks like all over the world is spread across the floor, on the walls, even hanging from the ceiling. In the centre of it all is Gideon, sitting on a wooden chair that looks like a throne.
Pretty imagery, but a bit too obvious: we already know Gideon's associations with colonialism in the form of stealing artwork from various countries. The reader doesn't have to be told (again) that he's associated with colonialism in the form of stealing artwork from various countries. (This is what reading that quote felt like.)
Still a great read, though, and one I'd easily give five stars. I'd also highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading both vampire novels and literary fiction—not just one, because this blend of the two won't be to everyone's taste.
Thank you to NetGalley as well as Little, Brown Book Group for providing me with an eARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.