By Jay Grummel
Sometimes there are books that have you thinking about them over and over again. For me one of those books is A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers. I finished this book a few weeks ago and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since. It has taken over places of my mind and fills me with an anxious attachment. There are quotes from this book that are eating at me. Not only did this novel put me through an experience, but it has also terrified me from beyond the page. But aren’t most horror novels supposed to do that?
A Certain Hunger is a fictional memoir of Dorothy Daniels. Dorothy is a convicted serial killer writing in the confines of Bedford Hills Correctional Facility. The story is written in first person narration of past, present and future events. We learn Dorothy’s childhood along with the events that led to her arrest and conviction. However, the story is not presented in a linear fashion. Due to this style choice the story can feel a bit disorenting.
Dorothy Daniels is first a writer, journalist and food critic; she is then also a murder and cannibal. Dorothy starts her becoming obsessed with food in her early adolescents. Her mother feeds Dorothy and her siblings with produce she’s grown herself in their garden. This is the usually the only food Dorothy eats until she’s a teenager. Her teenage rebellion consisted of fast food and grease. Her food interest becomes more apparent during her rebellion along with her relation of food and sex. The book continues to bring you into her psychopathic mind and show you the inner connections of a serial killer. For Dorothy there is a large connection between food and sex which enables her to start murdering and eating her sexual partners.
I’ve always found reading stories where the main character is clearly not a good person are far more interesting and compelling than the vice versa. A Certain Hunger focuses on themes of feminism, posing violence as creative acts, irony and the history of the internet.
Personally, I enjoyed this book a lot. It followed a lot of themes I enjoy reading in a more brutal and horrific way. Reading the extremes is always more interesting to me than reading the median. This book takes a different approach to feminism and critique humanities faults in a wild way you almost miss it. However, under the gruesome acts and disgusting language you find commentary on what it means to be a woman.
If you enjoy books similar to Mona Awad or are just looking to get out of your comfort zone this is the book for you. It also happens to be a perfect October read due to it dealing with a murderous food critic. I do suggest checking the trigger warnings prior to reading as it deals with heavy topics in graphic details.
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