I have no expertise on anything, but I do feel like I have had a lot of experience being around families and observing complex family dynamics. It’s funny because I would say I have never actually had the “family” experience myself. I grew up with just a mother and a younger sister. That’s it. I barely knew my father, barely knew my grandfather, sort of knew my grandmother. Barely knew my uncles. I found myself looking at other families with awe. Not with envy, but more with curiosity. And as someone who has had his own issues with my sole sibling, I am forever intrigued by that dynamic as well.
I have no idea how to begin to describe this book so I’ll just do my best to sum up the plot in one sentence: a large group of siblings, raised as Cannibal-American, all come back together at the deathbed request of their mother to perform the ritual act of eating her after she dies. The statements the novel makes about family obligation, family rivalry, the hate and affection family members can have for one another. All told in a manner so original and hilarious. We use the term “darkly humorous” a lot but this book stands on its own and just never ceases to amaze me.
'Outrageous satire . . . extremely funny, weirdly touching' - Guardian 'A work of genius' - Scotsman 'Close-to-the-knuckle farce with a big beating heart' - Daily Mail
This is the story of an unusual family. Though they are nothing like yours, you will recognize them. They are the last Cannibal-Americans. And they have a problem.
When their mother dies, twelve children gather to dispose of the body in the traditional manner . . . by eating it. But can they follow the ancient rituals of consumption? Is their unique cultural heritage worth preserving…
