Hey everyone! I hope you are all doing well. Summer is slowly but surely turning into fall. Other things are changing too. They are exciting changes, though, and I’m feeling optimistic about the near future. For this book review, I decided to step out of my comfort zone and try some genre fiction. Despite my preferences, I am a fan of historical fiction, and this once sounded particularly interesting. It’s also an interesting rabbit hole to delve into, if you feel like doing some random research. That said, let’s talk about The Glutton.

Content Warning: Explicit Language, Violence, Child Death, Sexual Content, Animal Death, Disturbing Imagery, Discussions of Sexual Assault

In a small hospital room in Versailles, a nun named Sister Perpetue sits with an ailing patient. This patient is considered dangerous, and the unpleasant task of watching him falls to the novice nun. This patient is a man named Tarare. His life began out unremarkably, in a tiny village outside of Lyon. Tarare’s young life is changed after a violent altercation, and he is forced out of the only life he has ever known. Soon after, he develops an insatiable hunger that drives him to extremes to satisfy it. Tarare’s journey ends up being one of peril, deceit, and gluttony. Amidst a political upheaval, Tarare is forced to navigate a strange world and his own dangerous cravings.

The Glutton is an intense, visceral, and eloquent imagining of Tarare, a man whose life is a mystery to this day. Blakemore’s prose is interesting because it feels stream-of-consciousness, even rambling, at times, but she cleverly circles back to the main narrative every time. The writing may not resonate with everyone, but it certainly presents a unique approach to such a unique story. Blakemore’s prose is poetic, sympathetic, and darkly funny at times, but doesn’t let go of Tarare as a tragic figure amongst the other odd characters in the novel. There was a distinct focus throughout the novel that helped ground this story in reality. That being said, this writing style may not resonate with everyone. At times, I had a bit of a hard time keeping track of the main story. The writing, though, is so captivating, and it was easy to get sucked into the story. Overall, The Glutton stands out as a historical reimagining of a story that most people probably don’t know about. If you are looking for a historical novel. I highly recommend checking out this one.