A Certain Hunger

A Certain Hunger is gross, vulgar, crass and unapologetically so. It’s also clever, sharp, and darkly funny. I genuinely enjoyed myself. The novel certainly tries hard to shock, and the relentless food metaphors and overstuffed prose can be exhausting at times. But the excess feels intentional, even calculated. If the book is over the top, it’s because it’s meant to be, and crucially, it’s executed with style and control. The framed narrative works well, and the digressions into various topics—culinary, cultural, philosophical—are often surprisingly engaging. That said, the friendship between Dorothy and Emma felt underdeveloped, especially in contrast to the otherwise elaborate voice and structure. Still, the novel offers a very particular kind of reading experience: indulgent, grotesque, ironic, and weirdly satisfying. It scratched an itch I didn’t know I had.

Bis zu den ersten 100 Seiten habe ich gelesen, ab da ist das Interesse gänzlich verschwunden. Der Schreibstil der Autorin ist sehr gewöhnungsbedürftig, mir persönlich hat er gar nicht gefallen. Die Story zieht sich und das Hin- und Herspringen zwischen Vergangenheit und Gegenwart ist undurchsichtig. Das Thema klang so unglaublich spannend und trotzdem quält man sich nur durch. Die Erwartung, dass die Story endlich besser wird, kann das Buch leider nicht erfüllen.

Dorothy is a food critic over the top and beyond, with no limits. She loves what she eats & and she eats what or who she loves! Between fresh bread, exquisite truffles and wonderfully riped wine we find the liver of a loved one. The story of a serial killer who just didn't have any boundaries when it came to her hunger. With such fun wit and charme she reflects her life and the crimes she committed topped with brutal honesty. It's stomach turning and really disgustingly interesting to read. You really got to support women's wrongs once in a while!

This novel follows Dorothy, a food critic whose obsession with gourmet cuisine becomes disturbingly intertwined with her craving for human flesh. Dorothy's complex, morally ambiguous character invites readers to question the nature of hunger—not just for food, but for power, control, and connection. The novel's biting critique of societal expectations and its unflinching portrayal of taboo make it a bold, thought-provoking read. A Certain Hunger is as grotesque as it is fascinating. So far my favourite novel about cannibalism!

The way Dorothy Daniels builds her own legacy filled with sarcasm and a hunger for finer things is just incredible. For some this book might be too hard to get into but it is a book worth a read for all the girls who enjoy women’s rights and wrongs as well and embrace this kind of cannibalism in their taste in books. As for the writing style and the development of the plot Chelsea G Summers created an immaculate atmosphere enveloped in the morbid turn of events. A true masterpiece of modern literature.