What Hunger

It’s the summer before the start of high school and Veronica Nguyen is bored. Her beloved older brother Tommy, who is the joy of the family, is about to head out for college. Tommy has always been there for her and even serves as the barrier between her and her parents’ constant nagging.

Not only is he good looking, but he’s the high school’s valedictorian too. He has a bright future ahead of him and will be attending the Harvard of Missouri come fall. Ronny doesn’t resent him for any of this; in fact, she loves her brother very much, but she can’t help but feel left behind at the thought of him going off to college.

When a sudden tragedy strikes, Veronica is left to her own devices to navigate through life. Veronica’s friends give in to the high school expectations of partying and drinking, and much to her dismay, she realizes she will have to do the same thing in order to fit in. One night at a party, she is assaulted by a boy from school and, in defense, she bites his earlobe off. With his earlobe in her mouth and the sharp taste of blood that comes with it, she realizes that she has a sudden ravenous appetite for raw flesh.

“I had been ripped open by him, that night lingered in my body, and it would not leave me just because I had chosen to ignore it. It slept in my cells, dormant, like a virus. And I knew that days or weeks or years down the road, it would flare, ravaging my system until I could barely move.”

As Veronica tries to figure out her next move and deal with the aftermath, she is filled with a visceral sense of fury that she’s never felt before. She’s ready to take out her rage and seek revenge on those who hurt her. She begins putting herself in extremely dangerous situations to satisfy her newfound craving for revenge and flesh.

“There was a drive in me, a hunger buried deep within me. I moved without thought, gulping him down like air. What hunger.”

There’s a complex family dynamic that helps us understand why things are the way they are and shows how trauma can affect everyone. Although Veronica doesn’t know much about her parents’ life back in Vietnam, they show their love through food. Mẹ and Ba taught Ronny and Tommy that meat was an expensive luxury that should never be taken for granted. Vietnamese cuisine is described often throughout the novel; from phở to bánh mì, bánh xèo, and bún bò huế—each description will have your mouth watering. The appreciation of food is sure to make you hungry while in the midst of the horror and the emotional grief.

Cannibalism serves as not only a great horror plotline but also a way to describe female rage. A female rage that seems bottomless and will never be satisfied because women are often silenced or not taken seriously. It accurately depicts the confusion, resentment, and overall emotional turmoil that comes with assault.

“My rage, though filled and sore and tired, burst open. It was inflamed, seeping out of my pores.”

What Hunger is a bit reminiscent of The Eyes Are The Best Part by Monika Kim and Tantrum by Rachel Eve Moulton, with some similar themes. If you enjoyed either of those books, you will surely love this one. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book!