How to Be Eaten

“Dark, edgy, and wickedly funny” - yes, yes, and yes. How to Be Eaten is a gorgeously written story about a modern-day support group comprised of five women who've survived so-called fairy tales, from the traditional (like Gretel, who - unsurprisingly - struggles with a deep mistrust of food and those who try to feed her) to the contemporary (like Ashlee, the 21-year-old ‘winner' of the most recent Bachelor). It is TWISTED, and it is excellent.

In terms of plot, it of course reminded me of The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix, which I enjoyed - but I'd put TFGSG squarely in the thriller category, whereas I think How To Be Eaten is more ambiguous. It has thriller-esque elements, particularly around the therapist and his motivations, but it's much more character-driven than your typical mystery, and there's magical realism too. I'd actually compare it most closely to Silvia Moreno-Garcia's Mexican Gothic - both books expertly create a sense of creeping unease (and visceral shock!) as you move through them.

The one thing I didn't like about this book was the cover - I think it's misleading. It suggests that Ruby's (Little Red Riding Hood's) story will be the central one, but that's not the case. (The women get roughly equal ‘page time', but if there's an argument to be made for one central character, I'd go with Bernice or maybe Raina.) I would have preferred a more abstract design, or one that managed to integrate elements of all five women's stories - I think that would have set a much stronger orientation.

That said, I loved this book. I loved it so much I had to force myself to stop reading when I was 70% of the way through so that I could savor it through more than one sitting. To put it in context, I read an absurd amount - I'm at 80+ books in 2022 so far - and I can already tell this will be a contender for one of my favorites.

Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for my ARC.