A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers

“Because here’s the thing about reading my memoir; it will make you feel good about yourself. You feel morally superior even as you identify with me. You slip into the supple skin of a cannibal for nearly three hundred pages and enjoy it; then you can slough it off, go about your happy, moral business, and feel like you are a better person.”

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A Certain Hunger takes the form of a memoir, narrated by our protagonist, Dorothy Daniels. Dorothy is a popular food critic who has a unique appetite for food, sex, and a rather gruesome habit of murdering her lovers and indulging in a taste of their flesh #justgirlythings

While Dorothy's actions are morally reprehensible in every imaginable way, she undeniably stands as one of the most captivating characters I've ever encountered in literature. Her unflinching lack of empathy, paired with salacious humor, was fascinating whether she was describing her involvement in devious crimes or deep diving into the industrial meat complex.

My favorite part of this story was that in a book full of deliciously raunchy and luridly gory scenes, there existed a beautiful and genuine portrayal of female friendship and love. I absolutely adored the dynamic between Emma and Dorothy, as well as the way Chelsea G. Summers described female friendship. “Our female friends, the close ones, are the mini-breaks we take from the totalitarian work it requires to keep up the performance of being female.”

This book certainly won't appeal to everyone, but I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who can stomach a bit of gore. A Certain Hunger is a daring and distinctive read that is unlike any book I’ve ever read.