How to Be Eaten
A Novel
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3.7 • 51 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
One of NPR's Best Books of the Year: This darkly funny and provocative novel reimagines classic fairy tale characters as modern women in a support group for trauma.
In present-day New York City, five women meet in a basement support group to process their traumas. Bernice grapples with the fallout of dating a psychopathic, blue-bearded billionaire. Ruby, once devoured by a wolf, now wears him as a coat. Gretel questions her memory of being held captive in a house made of candy. Ashlee, the winner of a Bachelor-esque dating show, wonders if she really got her promised fairy tale ending. And Raina's love story will shock them all.
Though the women start out wary of one another, judging each other’s stories, gradually they begin to realize that they may have more in common than they supposed . . . What really brought them here? What secrets will they reveal? And is it too late for them to rescue each other?
Dark, edgy, and wickedly funny, this debut for readers of Carmen Maria Machado, Kristen Arnett, and Kelly Link takes our coziest, most beloved childhood stories, exposes them as anti-feminist nightmares, and transforms them into a new kind of myth for grown-up women.
*Belletrist June Book Club Pick*
Named a Best Book of May by TIME Magazine & Glamour One of NPR’s Best Books of the Year
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Adelmann's funny and poignant debut novel (after the collection Girls of a Certain Age) invokes classic and modern fairy tales to portray a group of traumatized women. Six women, all public figures, join a mysterious group therapy experiment facilitated by the handsome if preternaturally bland Will. Every Friday evening, they meet in a YMCA rec room to drink coffee and share their experiences. First up is Bernice, who was whisked into a whirlwind romance with a tech billionaire nicknamed "Bluebeard" for his blue-dyed beard. Everything was great until Bernice discovered his secret habit of imprisoning and murdering women in his mansion. Then there's Ashlee, a "survivor" of a Bachelor-esque dating show; and Ruby, who as a child was swallowed by a wolf. Adelmann's retelling of "Rumpelstiltskin" is particularly good; it involves Raina, the oldest of the group, and includes a stunning revelation during one of Will's sessions of an imp-human sex scene. In the background is a running commentary about the power structure of narratives ("Morals create a labyrinth of rules geared toward blaming the victim," says Bernice, quoting a woman who later became one of Bluebeard's victims). Revisionist fairy tales are nothing new, but Adelmann's are elevated by accomplished prose and wry humor. It's a fresh and inventive gem.
Customer Reviews
One of My New Favorite Books
Refreshing, original and nostalgic, surprising, thought provoking. I’m positive I’ll be reading this one multiple times.
It’s pretty bad but maybe it’s because it’s in the wrong format?
I essentially forced myself to read this whole book because I paid for it. I think this book would have been a lot better if it were a graphic novel to omit the unnecessarily uncomfortable, drawn out descriptions. The analogies and similes throughout the book were awkward and a lot of the dialogue felt clunky. If it were a graphic novel, I feel that it would save the story from the low quality of the writing…