And as far as cannibalism goes, I thought it was portrayed rather tastefully, but maybe that’s because I read a lot of transgressive fiction and have become somewhat desensitised over the years. With its graphic descriptions of the killing, cooking, and eating of Dorothy’s victims, this book won’t be for everyone. However, as many great works of transgressive fiction do, this novel will make you laugh, and it is the ability to make you laugh at such horrendous acts that makes this novel so unnerving.Ī Certain Hunger is not for the squeamish. The subtext is often explained to the point that there is no longer any subtext, which takes away from the depth in places. I’ve never eaten foie gras, but now that I know how it’s made, I can safely say that I’m never going to eat foie gras for as long as I live. Littered with facts about both food and cannibalism, A Certain Hunger is not for those with a weak stomach. It’s not that women psychopaths don’t exist it’s that we fake it better than men.” “Few women come into maturity unscathed by the suffocating pink press of girlhood, and even psychopaths are touched by the long, frilly arm of feminine expectations. I’ve been reading a lot about psychopaths recently and in my unprofessional opinion, this novel offers a realistic view inside the mind of a violent psychopath. This graphic confession of cannibalism and murder makes little attempt to charm the reader, but all the same, you can’t help but be drawn into the emotionally distant world of Dorothy through the sarcasm and dark wit that seeps out of every page. Summers’ writing is formal but relentlessly funny. A Certain Hunger delves into the mind of a serial killer to question notions of gender and patriarchy.Ĭhelsea G. We read about her childhood, her career as a celebrated food critic, her struggles with long-term relationships, her love of sex, and the killing and eating of her multiple lovers. Set between the United States and Italy, and recounted by Dorothy as she sits in her prison cell serving a life sentence, this fictional memoir revolves around food, sex, and the occasional murder.

This novel follows Dorothy Daniels, a food critic and a cannibal.

A certain hunger cover