She’s Always Hungry | Horror Novel Review
She’s Always Hungry
She’s Always Hungry is one of the best collection of short stories that I have read in a long time, and makes me eager to explore more of Eliza’s work. There was something so enticing about reading something so short that felt almost dashed across the page. That being said, I did enjoy some more than others.
The collection of short stories centres around the theme of hunger, whether it be physical, mental of visceral. There is such a wide variety of stories contained in this short volume that I think it would give too much away for me to detail them all here, but I will say, there is almost certainly something for everyone! Instead of commenting on the novel as a whole, I will break it down below:
Build a Body Like Mine - This is a stellar start to the collection and displays the dark humour of Clark at its best. It was very tongue-in-cheek and felt almost light-hearted compared to some of the later darker stories. Overall, a nice short entrance to ease you into the collection.
Problem Solver - Was there a point to this? It didn’t really feel like it to me. I confess I read the whole thing through once, made no sense of it and then went back and still didn’t really understand it. Perhaps it was just me, it felt like there was a point as I read, just no one I could discern.
She’s Always Hungry - Now this one was the best of the bunch, there is a distinct reason why it becomes the title of the whole anthology. Its deep, well-thought through and very metaphorical. I particularly enjoyed the Lovecraftian elements to the creature and the submissive nature of the male character, this isn;t something I am used to seeing in modern literature.
The Shadow of Little Chitaly - This is just pure fun and utter nonsense! I loved this little interlude after such a heavy, plot based story beforehand. It felt like something I might realistically write as a joke for a friend!
Hollow Bones - Body horror has never really been for me, and I did find this one a little hard to get through, but I do think Clark balanced the body horror well with interludes without it, I didn’t feel so repulsed I physically could not carry on reading. For such a short story it is also worth praising the amount of world-building I trundled though, it felt like this could be a set up for a longer piece…
Goth GF - Probably my absolute favourite story. The submissive male characterisation is back, which I enjoy immensely, and Willow feels ultimately like a very real representation of females mingling in society. It was interesting to see this explored from the angle of a male but the female twist to the narrative definitely made a difference.
Extinction Event - In modern society, this story utterly terrified me, and that’s the point. I found this one the hardest to get through entirely due to the plotline and story. That’s not to say it’s a bad story, it’s isn’t by any means, I would just advise that one proceeds with caution for this one!
Nightstalkers - This story feels like an ode to being a teenager. The emotional intensity, you know how much I love a bit of angst, feels so appropriate here and is deployed with ease and care. Nothing much happens, but yet, it feels as if everything for this character does. A perfect little love ballad to simpler times.
Shake Well - Do not read this story whilst eating! I repeat, do not! This novel is about as gross as the stories in this collection get. Fused with a anxiety this story is an excellent depiction of societies reaction to beauty, and how it intends to both make and destroy it in turn. This story almost feels like a tie-up of all the others, perhaps like it should have been placed at the end instead?
The King - This one is perfect for reading right now, unfortunately. Patriarchal power comes under Clark’s sarcastic microscope in this little vignette and makes another one of the more light-hearted stories of this collection. This is the one I think I would recommend most just because of how relevant and slightly silly it is!
Company Man - Am I the only one who found the ending to this one a little bit predictable? It was a great story and i found myself really invested, but as the ending came I felt I could just, if I looked out of the corner of my eye, see it coming. Not as strong an end as I would have liked, but a nice little story nonetheless
Overall, this collection of stories is unique and, for horror, surprisingly witty and entertaining. I cannot give it full marks as I think certain stories let the whole collection down, but it was a fun and enjoyable read.
