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A review by danpolta
A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Girlboss American Psycho describes our narrator, Dorothy Daniels. A professed psychopath, the character takes us through the men she murdered, what she wanted from them, and what made her do it.
I really enjoyed the parts where the author uses the character to describe depraved thoughts and feelings through an unreliable narrator who insists that we all feel the same hungers. At her best, you can feel sympathetic toward the drive to cannibalism. At her worst, it feels like gore porn for misandrists.
The build up to the narrator ending up in jail (revealed at the start of the book) feels well-earned, and there are a few Chekhov guns for the mystery-loving attentive reader.
I really enjoyed the parts where the author uses the character to describe depraved thoughts and feelings through an unreliable narrator who insists that we all feel the same hungers. At her best, you can feel sympathetic toward the drive to cannibalism. At her worst, it feels like gore porn for misandrists.
The build up to the narrator ending up in jail (revealed at the start of the book) feels well-earned, and there are a few Chekhov guns for the mystery-loving attentive reader.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Stalking, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cancer, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Antisemitism