Mother for Dinner by Shalon Auslander REVIEW

*******SHORT SPOILER FREE REVIEW*******

Mother for Dinner is an interesting book. It was not something that was originally on my reading list, however I came across it after I had done my initial reading and thought it fit well. I was originally looking at women as cannibals, however women as cannibalised was a goof way to branch out and develop my arguments.

Mother for Dinner is a 2020 maybe-horror satire novel. It follows Seventh Seltzer, a Cannibal American who tries desperately to break away from his past and his identity. However, upon finding out that his mother is dying, he has no choice but to reunite with his family and honour their cannibal traditions.

I was so hesitant to read this book. Yes, it is perfect for my dissertation, but when I found out it was a comedy I was really put off. I get really nervous when reading comedies, and these are usually based around the negative stereotypes that surround the genre. I get scared that they aren't funny, or that they're badly written, or that I just won't enjoy them. I guess there's also a huge stigma around horror, suggesting that horror can't be funny. That is a pretty ignorant way of going about it, but after reading this book my view has been changed. Not only did I find it hilarious, there was such depth to the characters, it was emotional and I felt empty after reading it (in the best way). This book consumed (no pun intended) my thoughts for the week it took me to read it, and even now I still think about it.

The characters in this book all felt very convincing. They were written in a way which made every single character complex, which is a difficult thing to do as a writer. You usually find that you put all of your attention onto the main three(ish) characters, and the rest sometimes seem flat. I've read plenty of books like that, but it was so refreshing to see a book that paid the same amount of time and gave each character their own depth and complexities. It was such a tense (and realistic) family drama, and I felt so attached to all of the characters, even the ones that I hated.

I really struggled to find something I disliked about this book. By no means is it perfect, but there was so little to complain about. I would have liked the mother to have some redeeming qualities. Sure, she is dedicated to her culture, and wants to please and honour those who came before her, which is an admirable thing. It just felt like she was the worst person in the world at every step, and I would have liked her to have something to redeem her. I get that the book would not give off the same effect, but I think a redeeming quality would have added to her desperation, and made the build up to the ending more tense.

Overall I gave the book:

★★★★​★

The ending was so raw and despite the tone leading up to it, I felt so devastated once it was over. There is a hole in my heart where this book was, and I would give anything to read this book again for the first time. It was such an amazing experience, and I'm really looking forward to reading Auslander's other work.

If you have any recommendations, please feel free to leave a comment!

All the best,

​Talia <3