Scan barcode
katykelly's review against another edition
5.0
A family of cannibals. Well, doesn't that just sell it?!
Meet the Savages. Loving but work-obsessed Dad, perfect homemaker Mum, teenage Sasha with a vegetarian-militant boyfriend, and prank-joker Ivan. Plus a cute baby cutting her first teeth.
We learn from the first that their 'meat'-eating ways will be discovered and their home and lives destroyed. The story is about how it all happens.
I thought it might be a slightly younger The Radleys (Matt Haig), and it did have elements of this - normal looking family hiding shocking food-related secret.
It's a great family story. Whyman manages to make the whole family very sympathetic and likeable, with issues and problems that they actually resolve much better than many families. Their special diet actually makes them a very close unit (not that I'm recommending it!).
The idea of Sasha trying out vegetarianism under pressure from her boyfriend is darkly funny, an inverse account of teenage rebellion. Jack, the hybrid-driving, would-be-Lothario is nicely loathsome and distasteful. There are oodles of eating-related in-jokes and lines that the reader can smile at, knowing already to family's secret.
It's actually quite a moving family story at times, the origin story of how the family came to find and perfect their taste quite sad.
A really original and enjoyable teenage read, darkly wicked and a lot to talk about, food-wise.
Meet the Savages. Loving but work-obsessed Dad, perfect homemaker Mum, teenage Sasha with a vegetarian-militant boyfriend, and prank-joker Ivan. Plus a cute baby cutting her first teeth.
We learn from the first that their 'meat'-eating ways will be discovered and their home and lives destroyed. The story is about how it all happens.
I thought it might be a slightly younger The Radleys (Matt Haig), and it did have elements of this - normal looking family hiding shocking food-related secret.
It's a great family story. Whyman manages to make the whole family very sympathetic and likeable, with issues and problems that they actually resolve much better than many families. Their special diet actually makes them a very close unit (not that I'm recommending it!).
The idea of Sasha trying out vegetarianism under pressure from her boyfriend is darkly funny, an inverse account of teenage rebellion. Jack, the hybrid-driving, would-be-Lothario is nicely loathsome and distasteful. There are oodles of eating-related in-jokes and lines that the reader can smile at, knowing already to family's secret.
It's actually quite a moving family story at times, the origin story of how the family came to find and perfect their taste quite sad.
A really original and enjoyable teenage read, darkly wicked and a lot to talk about, food-wise.
tiannastarfall's review against another edition
dark
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Dark comedy with good character's who are all likeable despite their appetites. The book was let down by it's editing and proof reading as there were several mistakes that really threw the story off-kilter in places, with names being mixed up and tenses confused. I enjoyed the story overall, with touching family moments, an insight into teenage relationships and funny comments regarding eating habits. The timescale in the ending was not very believable and that along with the errors kept it from being more than three stars.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Eating disorder, Murder, Cannibalism, and Death
booksnpunks's review against another edition
1.0
Omg what even was this book. This was fun and absolutely ridiculous. The writing was terrible but read it for the dark humour.
sarasofraz's review against another edition
4.0
This book is really special. And you won't regret reading it.
I loved it. My idea of what this book was about was so different from what it actually was and I am so glad that I happened to pick it up randomly in the library.
It's funny, scary and you feel a bit strange but happy after reading it? It's gruesome, but it's a book worth reading.
I loved it. My idea of what this book was about was so different from what it actually was and I am so glad that I happened to pick it up randomly in the library.
It's funny, scary and you feel a bit strange but happy after reading it? It's gruesome, but it's a book worth reading.
opticflow's review against another edition
1.0
This book stands out from everything else published recently. It’s not girly, or gritty, or paranormal. The cover says everything it needs to say: this is a horror comedy. It has a League of Gentlemen meets Addams Family feel. It begins with a 3rd person omniscient narrator that I immediately read like Jim Dale doing the voiceovers on Pushing Daisies. The plot tackles a vegetarian entering into the world of cannibals, which sounds silly and dark, like Delicatessen. Brilliant start, as these are all things I already love.
About halfway through this book, I put it down and never picked it up again. There was a bit of real gore and horror, but I never actually found it funny. From the other reviews it looks like the humor picks up when the detective gets more involved in the story, but I couldn’t make it that far.
I don’t know that this family’s history of cannibalism really needed to be explained. It takes many pages of hinting before it’s outright revealed, even though it’s announced on the flap of the book. If someone has picked up this book, they have already bought into the idea of reading about cannibals, so does it really matter why? Explaining they’re cannibals because they’re Russian, and they started eating other people during the lean years of a war, and it became a tradition… Can you see why that’s kind of problematic? You probably grew up on Russian Bond villains, but aren’t we past that? Cannibalism during WWII was real, and terrifying. So if you want to turn it into a joke, maybe not so close to the source material? Why not make a random English family cannibals?
Because even as we become more accepting of some people, another group becomes free game for ostracism. It’s easy to accept they’re cannibals if it’s part of their evil, backwards, foreign culture. In the name of humor Eastern Europeans are often the scapegoats of xenophobia, especially in the UK. Hey Matt Whyman, I’m here to tell you that’s just not on. It might seem like a small detail in this book, but what started as a niggling concern made me grit my teeth harder and harder as it went on, until I realized I didn’t need to do that to myself, and walked away.
About halfway through this book, I put it down and never picked it up again. There was a bit of real gore and horror, but I never actually found it funny. From the other reviews it looks like the humor picks up when the detective gets more involved in the story, but I couldn’t make it that far.
I don’t know that this family’s history of cannibalism really needed to be explained. It takes many pages of hinting before it’s outright revealed, even though it’s announced on the flap of the book. If someone has picked up this book, they have already bought into the idea of reading about cannibals, so does it really matter why? Explaining they’re cannibals because they’re Russian, and they started eating other people during the lean years of a war, and it became a tradition… Can you see why that’s kind of problematic? You probably grew up on Russian Bond villains, but aren’t we past that? Cannibalism during WWII was real, and terrifying. So if you want to turn it into a joke, maybe not so close to the source material? Why not make a random English family cannibals?
Because even as we become more accepting of some people, another group becomes free game for ostracism. It’s easy to accept they’re cannibals if it’s part of their evil, backwards, foreign culture. In the name of humor Eastern Europeans are often the scapegoats of xenophobia, especially in the UK. Hey Matt Whyman, I’m here to tell you that’s just not on. It might seem like a small detail in this book, but what started as a niggling concern made me grit my teeth harder and harder as it went on, until I realized I didn’t need to do that to myself, and walked away.
thereistime's review against another edition
3.0
This was an ok read, I didn't outright hate the characters or story, it just left me wanting more.
The characters seemed very two-dimensional, none of the Savages had much going on in their lives other than cannibalism. It was pointed out how weird it was that the family was so fixated on food though which was a small redemption.
The plot was lacking in my opinion, with not much happening in the first 3/4 of the book, and when things did happen, they seemed to come completely out of left field, go on for a page and then that was it. There wasn't enough suspense or tension for my liking.
The characters seemed very two-dimensional, none of the Savages had much going on in their lives other than cannibalism. It was pointed out how weird it was that the family was so fixated on food though which was a small redemption.
The plot was lacking in my opinion, with not much happening in the first 3/4 of the book, and when things did happen, they seemed to come completely out of left field, go on for a page and then that was it. There wasn't enough suspense or tension for my liking.
angelofthetardis's review against another edition
challenging
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This is the closest you'll find me getting to 'seasonal reading'. The easiest comparison is definitely 'The Addams Family' - it's lighthearted for spooky season, but comes with a side order of horror movie.
The Savages are a fairly normal family. Mum overindulges in designer clothes; Dad works too hard; brother has a penchant for pranks and sister's going through her vegetarian phase. Which would be fine, except for the part where it's a family tradition to enjoy the odd feast of human flesh. So it's not great when a PI starts nosing around Dad's dodgy dealings... or when a prank goes slightly awry...
First of all, I love the fact that there is a proper set up to this premise; it's not just a plot point. The author has done a little bit of research into history and built his family accordingly. So while it's definitely a bit 'out there', the family tradition is explained in such a way that is actually believable. It's woven into the story really well too.
Equally, it's a great exploration of what happens when someone wants to free themselves from tradition and find their own path. In this case, Sasha, the daughter, is simply trying to impress a boy at school, but in the process learns a few things about herself. Examining this through the lens of meat eating vs vegetarianism vs veganism is quite clever because it's such a simple thing that people choose, but in here every part of the spectrum is included, and indeed closes the loop! It speaks of the pressures teens are put under and put themselves under, and ultimately finding the strength to take your own stance.
The writing manages to strike a really good balance between character and plot. All of the characters are well fleshed out and pop off the page for their own reasons, and each serves the wider story well and takes a turn in the spotlight. I wouldn't say it's laugh out loud funny, but it is humorous, and while it's not gory or a full on bloodbath, it's not exactly a normal Sunday lunch they're preparing. But overall, unless you are a really sensitive reader this is a tale you can take with a pinch of seasoning and just tuck into and enjoy.
I think the only letdown for me is the ending. There are moments in the narrative that indicate the writer is speaking of events that have already occurred and do you do get an indication of the way things are heading, but it's not 100% clear until you get there. It does round off the story to a good clean conclusion, but I almost wanted more ambiguity, or a return to 'normal' after the story's crescendo.
Overall an enjoyable read. And I know just the person to pass this book onto!
The Savages are a fairly normal family. Mum overindulges in designer clothes; Dad works too hard; brother has a penchant for pranks and sister's going through her vegetarian phase. Which would be fine, except for the part where it's a family tradition to enjoy the odd feast of human flesh. So it's not great when a PI starts nosing around Dad's dodgy dealings... or when a prank goes slightly awry...
First of all, I love the fact that there is a proper set up to this premise; it's not just a plot point. The author has done a little bit of research into history and built his family accordingly. So while it's definitely a bit 'out there', the family tradition is explained in such a way that is actually believable. It's woven into the story really well too.
Equally, it's a great exploration of what happens when someone wants to free themselves from tradition and find their own path. In this case, Sasha, the daughter, is simply trying to impress a boy at school, but in the process learns a few things about herself. Examining this through the lens of meat eating vs vegetarianism vs veganism is quite clever because it's such a simple thing that people choose, but in here every part of the spectrum is included, and indeed closes the loop! It speaks of the pressures teens are put under and put themselves under, and ultimately finding the strength to take your own stance.
The writing manages to strike a really good balance between character and plot. All of the characters are well fleshed out and pop off the page for their own reasons, and each serves the wider story well and takes a turn in the spotlight. I wouldn't say it's laugh out loud funny, but it is humorous, and while it's not gory or a full on bloodbath, it's not exactly a normal Sunday lunch they're preparing. But overall, unless you are a really sensitive reader this is a tale you can take with a pinch of seasoning and just tuck into and enjoy.
I think the only letdown for me is the ending. There are moments in the narrative that indicate the writer is speaking of events that have already occurred and do you do get an indication of the way things are heading, but it's not 100% clear until you get there. It does round off the story to a good clean conclusion, but I almost wanted more ambiguity, or a return to 'normal' after the story's crescendo.
Overall an enjoyable read. And I know just the person to pass this book onto!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism and Eating disorder
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Death, Gore, Kidnapping, Blood, Body horror, Murder, and Torture
Minor: Fatphobia, Pedophilia, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Suicide
arianawrites's review against another edition
I'm a sucker for a book with cover art by Jason Chan.
theinkwyrm's review against another edition
challenging
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I’m not at all surprised that I enjoyed this middle-grade/ kind of YA take on cannibalism. It was funny and charming in its own ways and not scary at all, so I would actually recommend this to any younger reader interested in this topic. The only thing that bothered me was that this was supposed to be set in England but there were some obvious anachronisms, particularly in relation to food terminology. Still, a good read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism
Moderate: Blood