Book Review: A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers

“I’ll never understand people choosing to eat soulless foods—monsters all, say I, the cannibal.”

This book came out in December and somehow flew under my radar! I bought it as a birthday present to myself—having read zero reviews and intrigued by its title—and I finished it in 24hrs!!!

A Certain Hunger is about Dorothy Daniels—a witty food critic, a brilliant writer, a staunch believer in round-the-clock sex, and a cannibalistic serial killer. From prison, our protagonist is recalling to her readers her many handsome lovers and her ravenous appetite for their lust, adoration, and eventually their garlic seasoned livers.

Believe it or not, this sultry, slow-simmering mock-memoir of a woman’s craving for human flesh actually left me both disgusted and hungry at the same time! And don’t you dare judge me! If you were reading pages and pages of vivid descriptions of delectable restaurant dishes only to be thrown off guard by abrupt scenes of grisly, bloody gore...you too would be conflicted! Dorothy proved a very fascinating anti-hero who educated readers on the restaurant/ food industry while simultaneously justifying her cannibalistic tendencies.

I will warn that this isn’t an action-packed crime thriller. It’s a steadily paced story of Dorothy’s reflections on her own dark secret. However, If you love salivating over long paragraphs filled with steaming, hot plates of food, or enjoy indulging in a woman’s recollection of ravenous sex with past lovers, or are simply in this for a cannibalism, this book might be for you and I personally found it to be an excellent pick for Women In Horror Month!

(4.5/5⭐)