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Bones & All
Maren Yearly doesn’t just break hearts, she devours them.
Since she was a baby, Maren has had what you might call "an issue" with affection. Anytime someone cares for her too much, she can’t seem to stop herself from eating them. Abandoned by her mother at the age of 16, Maren goes looking for the father she has never known, but finds more than she bargained for along the way.
Faced with love, fellow eaters, and enemies for the first time in her life, Maren realizes she isn’t just looking for her father, she is looking for herself. The real question is, will she like the girl she finds?
Since she was a baby, Maren has had what you might call "an issue" with affection. Anytime someone cares for her too much, she can’t seem to stop herself from eating them. Abandoned by her mother at the age of 16, Maren goes looking for the father she has never known, but finds more than she bargained for along the way.
Faced with love, fellow eaters, and enemies for the first time in her life, Maren realizes she isn’t just looking for her father, she is looking for herself. The real question is, will she like the girl she finds?
304 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2015
About the author
Camille DeAngelis
12 books333 followersI'm the author of three fantasy novels for adults—Immaculate Heart, Mary Modern, and Petty Magic. My young adult novel, Bones & All, won an Alex Award from YALSA and the American Library Association in 2016 (thank you, librarians!!) This little teen-cannibal road trip novel has been adapted into a film directed by Luca Guadagnino and starring Taylor Russell, Timothée Chalamet, Mark Rylance, and a bunch more stunningly talented actors. David Kajganich wrote the script, and I often say (0% kidding) that if I could go back in time I'd novelize the screenplay and put both our names on the cover. (Well, his name *is* on the cover of the spiffy new movie tie-in edition, but you know what I mean.)
Anywho, back to the bio! My favorite of my novels is my middle-grade debut, The Boy From Tomorrow. I've also written two books of practical philosophy: Life Without Envy: Ego Management for Creative People and A Bright Clean Mind: Veganism for Creative Transformation. I also researched and wrote the first, second, and third editions of Moon Ireland.
I love reading and writing about the supernatural: my second children's novel (forthcoming!) is a ghost story, as is my first published short story, "The Coroner's Bride," now available from iTunes, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Amazon. "The Coroner's Bride" originally appeared in Exotic Gothic 5, edited by Danel Olson.
CURRENT PROJECT: a retro-futurist screwball comedy. For updates, you can sign up for my (not too frequent) newsletter: http://bit.ly/cometparty
**PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE email me instead of using Goodreads messaging—I'm not on here often enough to give you a prompt reply! Thanks for understanding.**
Anywho, back to the bio! My favorite of my novels is my middle-grade debut, The Boy From Tomorrow. I've also written two books of practical philosophy: Life Without Envy: Ego Management for Creative People and A Bright Clean Mind: Veganism for Creative Transformation. I also researched and wrote the first, second, and third editions of Moon Ireland.
I love reading and writing about the supernatural: my second children's novel (forthcoming!) is a ghost story, as is my first published short story, "The Coroner's Bride," now available from iTunes, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Amazon. "The Coroner's Bride" originally appeared in Exotic Gothic 5, edited by Danel Olson.
CURRENT PROJECT: a retro-futurist screwball comedy. For updates, you can sign up for my (not too frequent) newsletter: http://bit.ly/cometparty
**PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE email me instead of using Goodreads messaging—I'm not on here often enough to give you a prompt reply! Thanks for understanding.**
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,465 reviews
October 25, 2022
she ate (real)
March 27, 2021
yes this is a book about cannibalism. yes, i enjoyed it. and yes, i did read it because the movie is going to feature timothée chalamet. i will admit all of this because if there's anything that this book taught me, it's to not be ashamed.
this is one of those books you really shouldn't know too much going into-- the fun of it is the ride. you'll get to know maren, and various other people-eaters along the way. for some, you'll feel sympathy, for others, utter revulsion. and yet, i couldn't help leaving this book feeling charmed.
anyway, for some strange reason which i cannot even attempt to explain, i would recommend giving this a read. it was enjoyable and gross and everything in between. i both eagerly and fearfully await the movie.
this is one of those books you really shouldn't know too much going into-- the fun of it is the ride. you'll get to know maren, and various other people-eaters along the way. for some, you'll feel sympathy, for others, utter revulsion. and yet, i couldn't help leaving this book feeling charmed.
anyway, for some strange reason which i cannot even attempt to explain, i would recommend giving this a read. it was enjoyable and gross and everything in between. i both eagerly and fearfully await the movie.
December 1, 2022
me, explaining to chrysa why i think cannibalism is a metaphor for human connection
chrysa, explaining to me why cannibalism is a metaphor for desire
the average twitter user with the media literacy of a goldfish wanting to kill us both because the book "LITERALLY romanticizes cannibalism"
chrysa, explaining to me why cannibalism is a metaphor for desire
the average twitter user with the media literacy of a goldfish wanting to kill us both because the book "LITERALLY romanticizes cannibalism"
August 1, 2024
historia szesnastoletniej kanibalki, ktora porzucona przez matke, probuje zrozumiec siebie.
brzmi ciekawie? dla mnie bardzo-niestety to bylo po prostu gargantuicznych rozmiarow rozczarowanie.
jak zazwyczaj recenzowanie ksiazek sprawia mi ogrom przyjemnosci, tak ta bedzie jedynie bardzo frustrujaca. zaczynajac od podstaw jak w szkole podstawowej- wydanie zawiera sporo bledow skladniowych, przez co pozycja potrafi byc nieczytelna. bohaterowie sa plascy i pomimo moich staran, nie potrafilam ich ani polubic, ani sie z nimi utozsamic. fabularnie jest ona horrendalnie przewidywalna, i pelna ulatwien. jak rozumiem zamysl metafory- zjadanie swoich milosci jako przenosnia dla kochania ich jeszcze mocniej, tak zeby metafora dzialala- musi dzialac tez w sensie doslownym, a niestety nie dziala. chce na koniec napisac cos pozytywnego, ale nie wiem jak to z siebie wykrzesac. boze, widzisz i nie grzmisz, tak w sporym skrocie.
SZYBKI SPOILER ;
Maren, glowna bohaterka, zjada tam swoja milosc i nie mysli o nim ani razu przez nastepne (zarazem ostatnie) 30 stron. XD.
brzmi ciekawie? dla mnie bardzo-niestety to bylo po prostu gargantuicznych rozmiarow rozczarowanie.
jak zazwyczaj recenzowanie ksiazek sprawia mi ogrom przyjemnosci, tak ta bedzie jedynie bardzo frustrujaca. zaczynajac od podstaw jak w szkole podstawowej- wydanie zawiera sporo bledow skladniowych, przez co pozycja potrafi byc nieczytelna. bohaterowie sa plascy i pomimo moich staran, nie potrafilam ich ani polubic, ani sie z nimi utozsamic. fabularnie jest ona horrendalnie przewidywalna, i pelna ulatwien. jak rozumiem zamysl metafory- zjadanie swoich milosci jako przenosnia dla kochania ich jeszcze mocniej, tak zeby metafora dzialala- musi dzialac tez w sensie doslownym, a niestety nie dziala. chce na koniec napisac cos pozytywnego, ale nie wiem jak to z siebie wykrzesac. boze, widzisz i nie grzmisz, tak w sporym skrocie.
SZYBKI SPOILER ;
Maren, glowna bohaterka, zjada tam swoja milosc i nie mysli o nim ani razu przez nastepne (zarazem ostatnie) 30 stron. XD.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 11, 2018
i am on the Bones & All street team!!! #BonesandAll tagging st. martin's press (hahaha come school me, young'uns!) but - jealous??? you should be! i got this awesome bag:
that made me wanna eat people:
and THE BOOK! (now punctured with my teethmarks)
this book is SO MUCH FUN and i am thrilled to be on its team. hashtagtasteslikepeople
Someday I'll wake up and find they've built a maze around me, and I will be relieved.
fans of karen russell, kelly link, aimee bender - i'm looking at YOU! this book is your JAM! as long as it's understood that your jam is going to be spread on top of delicious human flesh.
Penny Wilson wanted a baby of her own in the worst way. That's what I figure, because she was only supposed to watch me for an hour and a half, and obviously she loved me a little too much. She must have hummed a lullaby, fondled each tiny finger and toe, kissed my cheeks and stroked the down on my head, blowing on my hair like she was making a wish on a dandelion gone to seed. I had my teeth but I was too small to swallow the bones, so when my mother came home she found them in a pile on the living room carpet.
The last time my mother had looked at Penny Wilson she'd still had a face...Even when my mother noticed the gore down the front of my OshKosh overalls, even when she registered the blood on my face, she didn't see it. When she parted my lips and put her forefinger inside - mothers are the bravest creatures, and mine is the bravest of all - she found something hard between my gums. She pulled it out and peered at it. It was the hammer of Penny Wilson's eardrum.
and that's what happens on page one.
it is a charming little story of cannibalism and girl power. our girl maren has been a people-eater her whole life. she doesn't know why, but when she senses love being directed her way, her automatic response is to devour the source. during maren's childhood, her mother was forced to sacrifice all hope of a stable life and career in order to protect her from the fallout of her unfortunate meals. parents do not like it when your kid eats their kid, so their lives were a series of temporary homes, suitcases, and midnight flights. everything was pared down to the essentials:
We'd never had throw blankets at home - if we got cold we'd just take the comforters off our beds. Throw blankets, like placemats or window ornaments, were not necessary.
but that kind of life can only go on for so long, and the day after maren's 16th birthday she wakes to find she has been pushed from the nest. her mother is gone, leaving only an envelope of cash and maren's birth certificate, where she learns her father's name for the first time.
and what follows is - adventure! she sets out to finally meet her father and along the way, sheeats meets new people, including others with her devouring nature. they are not exactly like her - everyone has their own triggers, methods, and reasons for munching, but it's a sort of familial bond that is completely new to her.
this is the cheekiest cannibal novel i have ever read, and maren is a hell of a heroine. the book is full of cuddly themes like love, family, and self-discovery, but never forget how dangerous love can be, with people like maren.
and for all the light, there's plenty of dark. and metaphor. and the melancholy of a childhood lost:
The pillow was cool on my cheek. I understood now why the smell of laundry soap was so comforting: things couldn't be too hopeless if somebody was still bothering to wash the sheets.
hair rope, unfinished books, souvenirs, drunken cowboys, unrequited lust, road trips, cannibal etiquette, hobo stew, awkward requests, college dorms, carnies, all good things.
in fact, there is only one thing in this book that made me frown. (okay, two: )
My name's Andy. What's yours?"
"Maren."
"That's a nice name. I've never heard it before."
"Yeah," I said between bites of tuna fish. "Usually it's Karen."
"It's nicer than Karen."
LIKE HELL IT IS!
but that personal attack aside, this book is one of those books that is just sheer rollicking fun and i want all my ladyfriends to read it please.
nummy.
come to my blog!
that made me wanna eat people:
and THE BOOK! (now punctured with my teethmarks)
this book is SO MUCH FUN and i am thrilled to be on its team. hashtagtasteslikepeople
Someday I'll wake up and find they've built a maze around me, and I will be relieved.
fans of karen russell, kelly link, aimee bender - i'm looking at YOU! this book is your JAM! as long as it's understood that your jam is going to be spread on top of delicious human flesh.
Penny Wilson wanted a baby of her own in the worst way. That's what I figure, because she was only supposed to watch me for an hour and a half, and obviously she loved me a little too much. She must have hummed a lullaby, fondled each tiny finger and toe, kissed my cheeks and stroked the down on my head, blowing on my hair like she was making a wish on a dandelion gone to seed. I had my teeth but I was too small to swallow the bones, so when my mother came home she found them in a pile on the living room carpet.
The last time my mother had looked at Penny Wilson she'd still had a face...Even when my mother noticed the gore down the front of my OshKosh overalls, even when she registered the blood on my face, she didn't see it. When she parted my lips and put her forefinger inside - mothers are the bravest creatures, and mine is the bravest of all - she found something hard between my gums. She pulled it out and peered at it. It was the hammer of Penny Wilson's eardrum.
and that's what happens on page one.
it is a charming little story of cannibalism and girl power. our girl maren has been a people-eater her whole life. she doesn't know why, but when she senses love being directed her way, her automatic response is to devour the source. during maren's childhood, her mother was forced to sacrifice all hope of a stable life and career in order to protect her from the fallout of her unfortunate meals. parents do not like it when your kid eats their kid, so their lives were a series of temporary homes, suitcases, and midnight flights. everything was pared down to the essentials:
We'd never had throw blankets at home - if we got cold we'd just take the comforters off our beds. Throw blankets, like placemats or window ornaments, were not necessary.
but that kind of life can only go on for so long, and the day after maren's 16th birthday she wakes to find she has been pushed from the nest. her mother is gone, leaving only an envelope of cash and maren's birth certificate, where she learns her father's name for the first time.
and what follows is - adventure! she sets out to finally meet her father and along the way, she
this is the cheekiest cannibal novel i have ever read, and maren is a hell of a heroine. the book is full of cuddly themes like love, family, and self-discovery, but never forget how dangerous love can be, with people like maren.
and for all the light, there's plenty of dark. and metaphor. and the melancholy of a childhood lost:
The pillow was cool on my cheek. I understood now why the smell of laundry soap was so comforting: things couldn't be too hopeless if somebody was still bothering to wash the sheets.
hair rope, unfinished books, souvenirs, drunken cowboys, unrequited lust, road trips, cannibal etiquette, hobo stew, awkward requests, college dorms, carnies, all good things.
in fact, there is only one thing in this book that made me frown. (okay, two: )
My name's Andy. What's yours?"
"Maren."
"That's a nice name. I've never heard it before."
"Yeah," I said between bites of tuna fish. "Usually it's Karen."
"It's nicer than Karen."
LIKE HELL IT IS!
but that personal attack aside, this book is one of those books that is just sheer rollicking fun and i want all my ladyfriends to read it please.
nummy.
come to my blog!
March 7, 2015
I received an ARC of this book for a fair and honest review.
Honestly, I'm torn. Completely so. I started this book LOVING it. I thought it was creepy, twisted, and horrifyingly amazing. I loved the story, and I felt for Maren. Then the book started to lose me. The self journey discovery angle felt forced and listless, there was no definitive resolution as to WHY or WHERE this plot was going, and by the time Maren reached the supposed climax of the journey there were still pages left...for no reason. The ending made little sense and in fact left me more than a little annoyed that I'd spent three days dedicated to reading this one. While I respect the author's intent of trying to show why meat eating is bad (the acknowledgements page ruined the entire story for me, and I am glad I didn't see it until I was nearly done). Honestly I would have respected the author more if she went for the more obvious angle of a girl protecting herself against the men in her life trying to take advantage of her. If I look at the story through that lens it's a much better story than the allegory of veganism...but even then the ending makes zero sense and just makes the whole book seem...pointless?
I wanted to love this book, and I wish I had.
Honestly, I'm torn. Completely so. I started this book LOVING it. I thought it was creepy, twisted, and horrifyingly amazing. I loved the story, and I felt for Maren. Then the book started to lose me. The self journey discovery angle felt forced and listless, there was no definitive resolution as to WHY or WHERE this plot was going, and by the time Maren reached the supposed climax of the journey there were still pages left...for no reason. The ending made little sense and in fact left me more than a little annoyed that I'd spent three days dedicated to reading this one. While I respect the author's intent of trying to show why meat eating is bad (the acknowledgements page ruined the entire story for me, and I am glad I didn't see it until I was nearly done). Honestly I would have respected the author more if she went for the more obvious angle of a girl protecting herself against the men in her life trying to take advantage of her. If I look at the story through that lens it's a much better story than the allegory of veganism...but even then the ending makes zero sense and just makes the whole book seem...pointless?
I wanted to love this book, and I wish I had.
September 2, 2022
Dude. What the actual fuckery was this? I don't just mean the cannibalism, although that was definitely a questionable thing to write about, but the writing and the plot in general. What. The. Fuck.
Let me lay this out for you: A girl, Maren, is a cannibal and wants everyone's sympathy. She goes to find her dad who also might be a cannibal. Maren meets a cannibal and then leaves and then meets another cannibal! I don't know about you, but I was sitting here thinking cannibalism wasn't one of the things I needed to be scared of in my everyday life. Apparently, I was wrong. Now here is where things start getting even more wack. She and Lee (the second cannibal she encountered) go to find her dad while they are developing feelings for each other (here is where I would like everyone to notice that she eats those she develops feelings for) but they spend the entire book together. They find her dad, her dad is ALSO a cannibal. The first cannibal happens to be her grandfather and now wants to eat Maren. Maren escapes and finds Lee again. They go off and seem to be living a smooth life. Then the grandfather comes back to eat her again! Don't worry tho because Lee eats him. And then Lee and Maren finally have a romantic exchange. And then she eats him. Now she just gives into her cravings and eats men. The End. Did you get all that? Did you follow the intensely weird and stupid plot of this book? Because if you did, you are already doing a whole lot better than I am.
Besides the fucked up nature of the story, the writing SUCKED. Camille DeAngelis would expect us to catch her drift without ever even setting any development up. One second Travis is chill the next he's what? Wanting to be eaten? Wanting to rape Maren? WHAT DID TRAVIS WANT???? And then! One moment Maren's grandfather is so happy to have found her the next he is wanting to eat her? HOW DID MAREN OR ANYONE PICK UP THAT THIS IS WHAT HE WAS GOING TO DO! The entire thing just left you feeling stupid. Another example at how poorly writen this was, is the fact that after she eats Lee... what? Nothing? No remorse? No depression? You're telling me we get more of an emotional development from her eating her babysitter at the age of 2 then of her eating the dude she loved? No.
Anyways... I am concerned for the mentality of whoever read this and was like "yeah I want to make a movie out of that". However, it is Timmy, so I will be watching :)
Let me lay this out for you: A girl, Maren, is a cannibal and wants everyone's sympathy. She goes to find her dad who also might be a cannibal. Maren meets a cannibal and then leaves and then meets another cannibal! I don't know about you, but I was sitting here thinking cannibalism wasn't one of the things I needed to be scared of in my everyday life. Apparently, I was wrong. Now here is where things start getting even more wack. She and Lee (the second cannibal she encountered) go to find her dad while they are developing feelings for each other (here is where I would like everyone to notice that she eats those she develops feelings for) but they spend the entire book together. They find her dad, her dad is ALSO a cannibal. The first cannibal happens to be her grandfather and now wants to eat Maren. Maren escapes and finds Lee again. They go off and seem to be living a smooth life. Then the grandfather comes back to eat her again! Don't worry tho because Lee eats him. And then Lee and Maren finally have a romantic exchange. And then she eats him. Now she just gives into her cravings and eats men. The End. Did you get all that? Did you follow the intensely weird and stupid plot of this book? Because if you did, you are already doing a whole lot better than I am.
Besides the fucked up nature of the story, the writing SUCKED. Camille DeAngelis would expect us to catch her drift without ever even setting any development up. One second Travis is chill the next he's what? Wanting to be eaten? Wanting to rape Maren? WHAT DID TRAVIS WANT???? And then! One moment Maren's grandfather is so happy to have found her the next he is wanting to eat her? HOW DID MAREN OR ANYONE PICK UP THAT THIS IS WHAT HE WAS GOING TO DO! The entire thing just left you feeling stupid. Another example at how poorly writen this was, is the fact that after she eats Lee... what? Nothing? No remorse? No depression? You're telling me we get more of an emotional development from her eating her babysitter at the age of 2 then of her eating the dude she loved? No.
Anyways... I am concerned for the mentality of whoever read this and was like "yeah I want to make a movie out of that". However, it is Timmy, so I will be watching :)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 10, 2021
Wow, this was lame! Truly so lame. And I don't just say that because this book is (I believe) supposed to be Young Adult. How are you going to have a main character who is a teenage girl and ALSO a cannibal and not once explain how she does it. In the beginning, the main character, Maren, recalls a time when she was a toddler and apparently entirely devoured her babysitter. How? Literally how. How did a baby overpower an adult and eat her entirely? I understand I'm getting into the weeds here, but throughout the entirety of the book, Maren consumes primarily men her age or older, and it just doesn't make any sense, since we're not to assume she has razor-sharp teeth or super strength or anything. It just didn't work. Also, this book built up so many suspenseful scenes where ultimately nothing happened. The author would spend pages upon pages building up to an event that, time and time again, was ultimately rushed over or fell flat. A lot of the potential high points of the story did not get the time they deserved. The premise and the plot were good in theory, but it was not well-executed, which is really disappointing cuz who doesn't love cannibal content. Would not recommend.
October 24, 2022
I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS WILL BE A MOVIE!!
You can also read my review HERE
I was warned. But I still wasn't prepared. Bones and All shocked me with its first chapter only. From there, you have two choices as a reader, be turned off and stop reading... or be intrigued and turn the next page. I AM SO GLAD I chose the latter. Because Bones & All is a magnificent novel.
I understand that this may not be for everybody because of Maren's identity. She's a cannibal. Whenever someone gets too close to her... she eats them. Even her mother couldn't take it anymore and abandoned her. And with that, Maren embarks on a journey with the main goal: to find her father. But her father isn't the only one she found. There's a certain boy, her place in the world, and why she does what she does.
Its amazing how you can sympathize with Maren considering she eats people-- Bones and all. But DeAngelis wrote her beautifully and so real. She acts and talks like her age. She was sad, she was lost, and believe it or not, she can be relatable as a teenage girl. A lot of characters in this book are remarkable. Even if they just showed up for like, two chapters only, you can't help but be attached and be invested.
Don't expect a swoony and cliche romance because, well, it doesn't have one. The book does have a romantic element but it’s far from swoony. You will root for them, yes, but the turns of events will surprise you. I admit I didn't know if I should be horrified.. or sad. This book truly messed up with my emotions and I don't know why but that's why I find this book so amazing. It also helps that Bones and All is written in the best way possible. DeAngelis writing is absolutely stunning. She's one of the authors that we have to watch out for.
A terrifying yet meaningful novel. Bones and All will surprise and shock and it will get under your skin. Read and get to know Maren because you will not regret it. Readers need to gobble this up!
You can also read my review HERE
"There's no place for us in their picture of the world, if they knew what we were, they'd think even hell would be a too good sentence for us"
I was warned. But I still wasn't prepared. Bones and All shocked me with its first chapter only. From there, you have two choices as a reader, be turned off and stop reading... or be intrigued and turn the next page. I AM SO GLAD I chose the latter. Because Bones & All is a magnificent novel.
I understand that this may not be for everybody because of Maren's identity. She's a cannibal. Whenever someone gets too close to her... she eats them. Even her mother couldn't take it anymore and abandoned her. And with that, Maren embarks on a journey with the main goal: to find her father. But her father isn't the only one she found. There's a certain boy, her place in the world, and why she does what she does.
Its amazing how you can sympathize with Maren considering she eats people-- Bones and all. But DeAngelis wrote her beautifully and so real. She acts and talks like her age. She was sad, she was lost, and believe it or not, she can be relatable as a teenage girl. A lot of characters in this book are remarkable. Even if they just showed up for like, two chapters only, you can't help but be attached and be invested.
Don't expect a swoony and cliche romance because, well, it doesn't have one. The book does have a romantic element but it’s far from swoony. You will root for them, yes, but the turns of events will surprise you. I admit I didn't know if I should be horrified.. or sad. This book truly messed up with my emotions and I don't know why but that's why I find this book so amazing. It also helps that Bones and All is written in the best way possible. DeAngelis writing is absolutely stunning. She's one of the authors that we have to watch out for.
A terrifying yet meaningful novel. Bones and All will surprise and shock and it will get under your skin. Read and get to know Maren because you will not regret it. Readers need to gobble this up!
January 8, 2024
If there was one book I really wanted to love, it was
Bones & All.
Even though I told myself a few reviews ago I was going to swear off YA books for a little while.
But this concept of eating people?
A blend of horror, fantasy, and the literal growing pains of adolescence, how could I not want to read it?
Now I'm kind of upset I did.
There are a few problems with this story, all of them inextricably linked together and the first and most pressing issue is lack of characterization.
Who is Maren? Who is she? Why do we like her? Why should we care?
We don't get into her head except to know that she collects monster stories into a journal. So what?
Her mom is a shadow of a woman. A ghost, literally and figuratively. When she ditches her daughter, what are we supposed to feel? Empathy? Remorse?
Because she is barely sketched out for the readers, I was torn between despising her as a weak and coward individual and not caring one way or another.
Her father felt like a plot device dropped into the middle of the book to give Maren a place to go but it did nothing to propel the narrative forward.
He's been there for years and he will die there.
What's the author saying? What's the takeaway?
Poor Lee. Underused, under developed. He deserved more as did all of the characters in here.
Her grandfather all the grace and villainy of a flasher standing on the street curb. Sad, pathetic, and maybe that is the point.
The act of eating can mean many things and I'm not just talking about cannibalism, stress eating, eating disorders, happy memories of favorite childhood foods, the list goes on and on.
But what does eating mean for Maren and the few eaters she does encounter in her brief and otherwise meandering journey to nothing?
Eating as an euphemism as finding love and acceptance in Maren's case? Definitely.
Eating as a way to protect the ones he loves in Lee's case? Makes sense.
Eating as a way to validate and acknowledge one's baser and cruel needs in Maren's grandfather's case? I can see it.
But this is not what I took from the book.
The author took a fascinating hook with numerous possibilities and turned it into a boring road trip where nothing is resolved, no one's motivations are explained (for instance, Maren's fascination with the preacher on the radio. Does she feel her actions are unforgivable? Explore that!) and Maren is left alone once more.
Is that the real meaning behind the book?
That in this vast world we are all eaters but we all eat for our own dark reasons and because of that, we will always be alone in our own way.
Or maybe I'm overthinking it and this is just a book about a girl who can't come to terms with her future veganism.
I'm not surprised the ending is vague and ambiguous, but after I finished reading this, I was still kind of hungry because the book wasn't filling enough.
Even though I told myself a few reviews ago I was going to swear off YA books for a little while.
But this concept of eating people?
A blend of horror, fantasy, and the literal growing pains of adolescence, how could I not want to read it?
Now I'm kind of upset I did.
There are a few problems with this story, all of them inextricably linked together and the first and most pressing issue is lack of characterization.
Who is Maren? Who is she? Why do we like her? Why should we care?
We don't get into her head except to know that she collects monster stories into a journal. So what?
Her mom is a shadow of a woman. A ghost, literally and figuratively. When she ditches her daughter, what are we supposed to feel? Empathy? Remorse?
Because she is barely sketched out for the readers, I was torn between despising her as a weak and coward individual and not caring one way or another.
Her father felt like a plot device dropped into the middle of the book to give Maren a place to go but it did nothing to propel the narrative forward.
He's been there for years and he will die there.
What's the author saying? What's the takeaway?
Poor Lee. Underused, under developed. He deserved more as did all of the characters in here.
Her grandfather all the grace and villainy of a flasher standing on the street curb. Sad, pathetic, and maybe that is the point.
The act of eating can mean many things and I'm not just talking about cannibalism, stress eating, eating disorders, happy memories of favorite childhood foods, the list goes on and on.
But what does eating mean for Maren and the few eaters she does encounter in her brief and otherwise meandering journey to nothing?
Eating as an euphemism as finding love and acceptance in Maren's case? Definitely.
Eating as a way to protect the ones he loves in Lee's case? Makes sense.
Eating as a way to validate and acknowledge one's baser and cruel needs in Maren's grandfather's case? I can see it.
But this is not what I took from the book.
The author took a fascinating hook with numerous possibilities and turned it into a boring road trip where nothing is resolved, no one's motivations are explained (for instance, Maren's fascination with the preacher on the radio. Does she feel her actions are unforgivable? Explore that!) and Maren is left alone once more.
Is that the real meaning behind the book?
That in this vast world we are all eaters but we all eat for our own dark reasons and because of that, we will always be alone in our own way.
Or maybe I'm overthinking it and this is just a book about a girl who can't come to terms with her future veganism.
I'm not surprised the ending is vague and ambiguous, but after I finished reading this, I was still kind of hungry because the book wasn't filling enough.
February 11, 2015
A well-done, tender love story. Pairs well with a nice chianti.
March 22, 2024
I knew this story was going downhill when the main character met her love aka ghoul interest in a suburban Walmart
September 10, 2015
Oh, book. You had such great potential, but you just couldn't do it. You had great characters and a fantastic premise and I devoured you (lol) but your plot was a hot mess. Too many holes, too many coincidences, too much exposition instead of forward motion. You promised to be about sexuality and female power but you fell short of making your mark and I'm sad about that because you could've been great. Everything you could've been was right there but you took the easy way out every time and, as much as I enjoyed you, I can't ignore that. So close, yet so far.
July 13, 2016
Wait, what was the point of this book? Because I didn't see any plot really (actually I just didn't care about this book, so why would I bother to decipher the plot). No but seriously, promoting vegetarianism (through cannibalism)?
Okay, but that's not the main problem here. I mean, if you like being vegetarian/vegan, go for it, I have nothing against it. It's just that this book was boring.
Except she's not. Maren, I mean(not Karen). And that was one of the reasons this book was boring. But okay, I admit, maybe I made a mistake and misunderstood the summary, which caused me to expect some badass story with supernatural creatures. Yeah, there was just a weak girl...
Let me just point out a few things I didn't like:
-weak/passive heroine, as mentioned before
-lack of information about her appearance (apart from multiple mentions of her wearing black clothes; the author also mentions her hair once)
-a lot of flashbacks in the beginning
-basically every person that gets introduced gets eaten eventually
-Maren was naive af, like c'mon
-bad thing this, bad thing that... But why does everyone refer to it as a "bad thing". Wasn't that Maren's thing?
-WHY WEREN'T THERE ANY BADASS CHARACTERS THAT WOULDN'T SEE IT AS A BAD THING. Not everyone thinks the same. And what was with that "only eating (feeling the urge to eat) the boys who want to touch me" or "only eating those who lie/are bad people".
-Maren pretending to be a college student. How the hell did no one notice?
-and what was with that ending. Why would you just drag the story forward and then finish it like that. It was kind of stupid.
Now let me finish this, so I can go and wash my mouth with some Listerine and try to get rid of the bad taste after this bad thing that I've done - bad thing being reading this book(not eating anyone O.o). Ayee, see what I did there? xD (I'm sorry)
Okay, but that's not the main problem here. I mean, if you like being vegetarian/vegan, go for it, I have nothing against it. It's just that this book was boring.
Except she's not. Maren, I mean
Let me just point out a few things I didn't like:
-weak/passive heroine, as mentioned before
-lack of information about her appearance (apart from multiple mentions of her wearing black clothes; the author also mentions her hair once)
-a lot of flashbacks in the beginning
-basically every person that gets introduced gets eaten eventually
-Maren was naive af, like c'mon
-bad thing this, bad thing that... But why does everyone refer to it as a "bad thing". Wasn't that Maren's thing?
-WHY WEREN'T THERE ANY BADASS CHARACTERS THAT WOULDN'T SEE IT AS A BAD THING. Not everyone thinks the same. And what was with that "only eating (feeling the urge to eat) the boys who want to touch me" or "only eating those who lie/are bad people".
-Maren pretending to be a college student. How the hell did no one notice?
-and what was with that ending. Why would you just drag the story forward and then finish it like that. It was kind of stupid.
Now let me finish this, so I can go and wash my mouth with some Listerine and try to get rid of the bad taste after this bad thing that I've done - bad thing being reading this book
February 1, 2023
maren ate (her boyfriend)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 16, 2022
for a book about intimacy and cannibalism i really expected there to be more meaning and metaphor and, i don’t know, substance. like, at all. the author said this book is actually about veganism, which is so fucking stupid i don’t even know where to start. no it isn’t. it isn’t a book about ANYTHING, it’s an extended road trip with a little gore thrown in. the characters had absolutely nothing going on, learned nothing, and had no internal motivation. even though the writing was okay, it was such a fucking slog with SO many loose ends that never get resolved. the ending was unsatisfying and undermines the entire veganism point the author was supposedly making, so like, what the fuck, why did i read all that then. stupid.
i’ll still watch the movie though. it looks better 🤡
i’ll still watch the movie though. it looks better 🤡
September 3, 2022
The movie just broke the record for the longest standing ovation ever at the Venice Film festival.
https://variety.com/2022/film/news/bo...
The book? Like nothing I've read. The protagonist eats people alive, but so circumspectly that it's hard to know whether that person just got eaten or whether instead he/she just decided to leave the room. No screams, no struggles, no anything except the narrator saying something after it's over that's as horrifying as: "Reader, I did the deed." The narrator may or may not notice a bit of a stale aftertaste in her mouth and/or blood under her nails. It makes for an oddly lovely conflict between story and style, one that continuously delighted me for its unexpectedness. It's the most circumspect cannibal story you will ever read--and I loved it.
https://variety.com/2022/film/news/bo...
The book? Like nothing I've read. The protagonist eats people alive, but so circumspectly that it's hard to know whether that person just got eaten or whether instead he/she just decided to leave the room. No screams, no struggles, no anything except the narrator saying something after it's over that's as horrifying as: "Reader, I did the deed." The narrator may or may not notice a bit of a stale aftertaste in her mouth and/or blood under her nails. It makes for an oddly lovely conflict between story and style, one that continuously delighted me for its unexpectedness. It's the most circumspect cannibal story you will ever read--and I loved it.
January 11, 2023
Seguramente casi nadie sabe que existe este libro, no es uno al que le hagan mucha publicidad, ni siquiera por su reciente película con Timothée Chalamet, pero déjenme decirles que sí es un libro que vale la pena leer y al que creo que le vendría bien más reconocimiento. Eso sí, no es perfecto; hay momentos en los que se siente que la autora quiso hablar de mil cosas y acabó enredándose en sus propias ideas, sin embargo, el libro no pasa de las 300 páginas y todo aquello que se siente forzado sucede en un abrir y cerrar de ojos, tan rápido que ni da tiempo de molestarse.
En el papel de narradora y protagonista tenemos a Maren, una adolescente de 16 años que no solo rompe corazones, sino que los devora... literalmente. Cuando se queda sola, comienza un largo viaje en busca de su padre y, más allá de éste, las respuestas que puede brindarle. Durante el camino conoce a varias personas, algunas buenas y otras malas, incluso a Lee, quien no es malo, pero tampoco bueno. Entre ambos surge una amistad que por momentos parece ser algo más.
No es una historia romántica. Si han visto las promos de la película, sabrán que ésta es anunciada como una historia romántica con el pequeño inconveniente del canibalismo (y no la he visto, así que no sé), pero el libro es más bien una historia sobre el canibalismo con el pequeño inconveniente del amor. Durante sus casi 300 páginas se nos va narrando cómo Maren lucha contra sus instintos más oscuros e inevitables, basta decir que la primera vez que hizo lo malo (así lo llaman en el libro y me gusta cómo suena) era apenas una bebé. Vemos su tristeza cada vez que ocurre y su renuencia a hablar de ello, la culpa que la persigue y la envidia que experimenta hacia aquellas chicas que no son como ella; llegamos a comprender que soporte la constante amargura de Lee y su manera de hacerla llorar cada dos diálogos. El final es exelente, yo ya esperaba que sucediera pero me sorprendió la forma en la que sucedió, el cómo logra sentirse tan ¿cotidiano? ¿Normal?
Este es un libro que puede ser interpretado de varias maneras (como cualquiera) y saber que la autora es vegetariana te da más material para pensar. En lo personal, no sentí que quisiera convertir a nadie con este libro, sí que hay una que otra escena en la que quedan claras sus opiniones respecto del consumo de carne, pero no hay un discurso vegetariano en el libro. No. Es una historia que se mantiene por sí misma.
Lo bueno: pese a que Maren se siente atraída por Lee y fantasea con tener una vida a su lado nunca pierde de vista sus objetivos y nunca olvida que ninguno de los dos puede permitirse tener una familia. La relación de ambos no se vuelve empalagosa en ningún momento y los momentos oscuros, esos donde hacen lo malo, son maravillosos sin necesidad de descripciones gráficas y párrafo tras párrafo de sangre y viseras. Quiero hacer una mención especial al personaje de Travis, que me hizo recordar cierto caso de la vida real sucedido hace algunos años que causó controversia ya que muchos creían que no existía una víctima y, por ende, tampoco un victimario. De hecho, gran parte del libro me lo hizo recordar.
Lo malo: Lee. Mira, entiendo porqué es así, pero me parece uno de los personajes más antipáticos que he leído. Respuestas secas, actitud fría, cara bonita (según) y una extraña afición por hacer sentir mal a Maren. Conocer sus motivos no hace que caiga mejor, pero sí lo salva de ser un completo idiota. Otra cosa que me hizo ruido es que estaba claro que DeAngelis quería decir algo con la crianza negligente de todos los devoradores, pero no acabé de entender el punto(?
En resumen, recomiendo este libro pero solo a quienes les gustan los temas oscuros, porque aunque no es un libro que describa a lujo de detalle, puede resultar tremendamente aburrido si no te gusta lo bizarro.
Edit: acabo de ver la película y, si necesitan saberlo, el libro y ésta son muy diferentes, aunque al final tienen el mismo mensaje.
.
.
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.
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Y bueno, supongo que está será mi última reseña del año, así que lamento no estar tan activa estos últimos meses por acá, pero me he propuesto leer menos y vivir más. Feliz año nuevo a quien lea esto:)
En el papel de narradora y protagonista tenemos a Maren, una adolescente de 16 años que no solo rompe corazones, sino que los devora... literalmente. Cuando se queda sola, comienza un largo viaje en busca de su padre y, más allá de éste, las respuestas que puede brindarle. Durante el camino conoce a varias personas, algunas buenas y otras malas, incluso a Lee, quien no es malo, pero tampoco bueno. Entre ambos surge una amistad que por momentos parece ser algo más.
No es una historia romántica. Si han visto las promos de la película, sabrán que ésta es anunciada como una historia romántica con el pequeño inconveniente del canibalismo (y no la he visto, así que no sé), pero el libro es más bien una historia sobre el canibalismo con el pequeño inconveniente del amor. Durante sus casi 300 páginas se nos va narrando cómo Maren lucha contra sus instintos más oscuros e inevitables, basta decir que la primera vez que hizo lo malo (así lo llaman en el libro y me gusta cómo suena) era apenas una bebé. Vemos su tristeza cada vez que ocurre y su renuencia a hablar de ello, la culpa que la persigue y la envidia que experimenta hacia aquellas chicas que no son como ella; llegamos a comprender que soporte la constante amargura de Lee y su manera de hacerla llorar cada dos diálogos. El final es exelente, yo ya esperaba que sucediera pero me sorprendió la forma en la que sucedió, el cómo logra sentirse tan ¿cotidiano? ¿Normal?
Este es un libro que puede ser interpretado de varias maneras (como cualquiera) y saber que la autora es vegetariana te da más material para pensar. En lo personal, no sentí que quisiera convertir a nadie con este libro, sí que hay una que otra escena en la que quedan claras sus opiniones respecto del consumo de carne, pero no hay un discurso vegetariano en el libro. No. Es una historia que se mantiene por sí misma.
—No tenía ni idea de que fueras tan retorcida.
Suspiré al tiempo que posaba los labios en su cuello.
—Ni tú ni nadie.
Lo bueno: pese a que Maren se siente atraída por Lee y fantasea con tener una vida a su lado nunca pierde de vista sus objetivos y nunca olvida que ninguno de los dos puede permitirse tener una familia. La relación de ambos no se vuelve empalagosa en ningún momento y los momentos oscuros, esos donde hacen lo malo, son maravillosos sin necesidad de descripciones gráficas y párrafo tras párrafo de sangre y viseras. Quiero hacer una mención especial al personaje de Travis, que me hizo recordar cierto caso de la vida real sucedido hace algunos años que causó controversia ya que muchos creían que no existía una víctima y, por ende, tampoco un victimario. De hecho, gran parte del libro me lo hizo recordar.
Lo malo: Lee. Mira, entiendo porqué es así, pero me parece uno de los personajes más antipáticos que he leído. Respuestas secas, actitud fría, cara bonita (según) y una extraña afición por hacer sentir mal a Maren. Conocer sus motivos no hace que caiga mejor, pero sí lo salva de ser un completo idiota. Otra cosa que me hizo ruido es que estaba claro que DeAngelis quería decir algo con la crianza negligente de todos los devoradores, pero no acabé de entender el punto(?
En resumen, recomiendo este libro pero solo a quienes les gustan los temas oscuros, porque aunque no es un libro que describa a lujo de detalle, puede resultar tremendamente aburrido si no te gusta lo bizarro.
Edit: acabo de ver la película y, si necesitan saberlo, el libro y ésta son muy diferentes, aunque al final tienen el mismo mensaje.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Y bueno, supongo que está será mi última reseña del año, así que lamento no estar tan activa estos últimos meses por acá, pero me he propuesto leer menos y vivir más. Feliz año nuevo a quien lea esto:)
August 27, 2022
This was really good, much to my surprise. Not the smoothest read or the most polished execution, but it was compelling at all the right points, hard to put down from start to finish, and definitely a book I'd like to revisit. Which means it deserves the full 5 stars. I'm tempted to bump up the rating. Maybe after a reread.
October 5, 2022
7 out of 10
To be honest, I'm torn, even thought I'm strongly leaning positive. On one hand, I really enjoyed the writing and the tone of the novel, and it started off really strong. On the other hand, it the type of book that slowly makes you wonder whether it's actually going anywhere, and while there is some development in here, it doesn't really arrive at any groundbreaking conclusion or anywhere too satisfying. And I suppose that's fine, not every story needs an insane arc to be good, but if that's the case - deeper character work is necessary. Without spoiling anything, while the final third of the novel does deliver to an extent because of a certain storyline, the final resolution seems off to me.
In a way, this felt like a novel about accepting yourself, but the author had this to say: "when people who know I’m vegan hear I’ve written a book about cannibals… they think it’s bizarre, hilarious, or both. The short version is that I believe the world would be a far safer place if we, as individuals and as a society, took a hard, honest look at our practice of flesh eating along with its environmental and spiritual consequences." To be completely honest, this statement confuses me even more because none of that came through in the novel, and if that's the message she was trying to communicate - I did not pick up on it. This isn't to say that a book needs to have a message, or to hit you over the head with it - my point is that, since the author believes that's what the point of the book was, it illustrates even further how muddled the experience of reading it is.
What approach will the film adaptation take? I can't wait to find out.
To be honest, I'm torn, even thought I'm strongly leaning positive. On one hand, I really enjoyed the writing and the tone of the novel, and it started off really strong. On the other hand, it the type of book that slowly makes you wonder whether it's actually going anywhere, and while there is some development in here, it doesn't really arrive at any groundbreaking conclusion or anywhere too satisfying. And I suppose that's fine, not every story needs an insane arc to be good, but if that's the case - deeper character work is necessary. Without spoiling anything, while the final third of the novel does deliver to an extent because of a certain storyline, the final resolution seems off to me.
In a way, this felt like a novel about accepting yourself, but the author had this to say: "when people who know I’m vegan hear I’ve written a book about cannibals… they think it’s bizarre, hilarious, or both. The short version is that I believe the world would be a far safer place if we, as individuals and as a society, took a hard, honest look at our practice of flesh eating along with its environmental and spiritual consequences." To be completely honest, this statement confuses me even more because none of that came through in the novel, and if that's the message she was trying to communicate - I did not pick up on it. This isn't to say that a book needs to have a message, or to hit you over the head with it - my point is that, since the author believes that's what the point of the book was, it illustrates even further how muddled the experience of reading it is.
What approach will the film adaptation take? I can't wait to find out.
October 12, 2022
You already know why...
February 5, 2017
This book sounded really weird, so, naturally, I had to read it. But, as it turned out, it's just... Bland.
You wouldn't have though that a book about a girl who eats people could be so freaking boring , but, oh dear lord, I barely resisted DNFing it. First of all, the whole premise of the book is unclear. At first, after being repulsed by it, I was confused. How is she eating people? I mean the author doesn't go into details, thankfully, but it feels idiotic to think that it's plausible for one person to eat another just like that, bones and all. As the book progresses, the author vaguely implies that the main character isn't a regular (lol) cannibal, but rather an eater , aka a person that simply gobbles up other people.
Which just sounds like it was a convenient way not to ponder about what it really takes to eat a person, or to make an effort to write about an interesting supernatural being.
Apart from being unimpressed by the author's solution for the basis she should have build the plot on, the whole book was ridiculous. I literally couldn't find anything I like about this book.
PS. I have to stop myself from commenting the choice of people Maren eats... Because the analysis of that fu*kery would take me hours. Let me just say, there's something really, really wrong about the portrayal of intimacy, men and sexuality in this book. It's almost sad.
November 24, 2022
the film was tender, brutal, haunting, and doomed. what a goddamn masterpiece. easily a new absolute favourite.
the book is all of those things as well. still, this is one of those rare times when i prefer the film. however, only by ever, ever so slightly.
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i'm going to see the film tomorrow!!! need a quick (but meaningful) reread beforehand. predicting that this will become my favourite film of the past 5 years.
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i remember reading this book when i was, like, 14-years-old and i loved it. so naturally, since that banger trailer dropped, i have to reread it as a 22-year-old and see how it holds up.
the book is all of those things as well. still, this is one of those rare times when i prefer the film. however, only by ever, ever so slightly.
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i'm going to see the film tomorrow!!! need a quick (but meaningful) reread beforehand. predicting that this will become my favourite film of the past 5 years.
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i remember reading this book when i was, like, 14-years-old and i loved it. so naturally, since that banger trailer dropped, i have to reread it as a 22-year-old and see how it holds up.
April 22, 2023
i was so disturbed that it was good
December 1, 2022
¿Para qué sirve una novela? ¿Leemos para entretenernos o para aprender? ¿Queremos que nuestras suposiciones sean cuestionadas o validadas? La mayoría de los libros toman un lado o el otro, pero las mejores novelas eluden las categorizaciones convencionales. Y podríamos considerar este libro de Camille DeAgnelis como uno que logra una ambivalencia ideal. “Hasta los Huesos” es tanto una novela de terror bien escrita como una dulce historia sobre la llegada a la mayoría de edad de una caníbal adolescente en busca de algunas respuestas. Maren, de dieciséis años, es incapaz de superar un deseo innato de comerse a cualquiera que la desee demasiado, y ha pasado gran parte de su vida evitando las consecuencias de esta maldición. Abandonada por su madre, Maren emprende un camino en busca de su padre y su futuro.
Aunque en su mayoría es reservada para sí misma, Maren es involuntariamente encantadora, con un irónico sentido del humor y una cortesía inherente que tiende a traerle problemas. Le resulta imposible evitar que la gente se interese por ella; como cualquier adolescente, tiene que escudriñar sus motivaciones. Cuando Maren finalmente conoce a otros caníbales, descubre que todos eligen a sus víctimas por diferentes razones, un hecho que la obliga a lidiar con si existe o no un argumento moral válido para hacer ese tipo de distinción sustanciosa.
DeAngelis no menciona abiertamente el veganismo o los derechos de los animales en su libro, y abstenerse de comer humanos ciertamente no haría que los personajes fueran comensales éticos. Sin embargo, la autora se aventura en los reconocimientos de que cuando las personas que saben que ella es vegana escuchan que ha escrito un libro sobre caníbales, piensan que es extraño, hilarante o ambas cosas. Como menciona en los agradecimientos del libro, la versión corta es que ella cree que el mundo sería un lugar mucho más seguro si nosotros, como individuos y como sociedad, analizáramos nuestra práctica de comer carne junto con sus consecuencias ambientales y espirituales. Este sentimiento es innegablemente cierto, pero no es necesariamente un punto que se destaca en esta novela.
Para DeAngelis, el canibalismo no es un sustituto de comer animales, y no ofrece un marco filosófico para lo que alguien debería comer. Cualquier argumento que se haga en esta novela solo está disponible en una lectura atenta del texto, pero está allí. DeAngelis tiene buen ojo para los detalles y los escenarios, y el mundo que ha creado es totalmente realizado y vibrante. Por ejemplo, lleva al lector hasta el momento en que Maren debe comerse a alguien especial y luego, evitándonos los detalles sangrientos, detiene abruptamente su descripción de los eventos: solo hay un antes y un después. Antes, un humano; después, algo de ropa rota en una bolsa de plástico y sangre fresca debajo de las uñas de Maren. El momento real del consumo es vacío, y ese vacío consciente contrasta fuertemente con la vívida notación de DeAngelis de todo lo demás que consumen los personajes.
De hecho, “Hasta los Huesos” menciona alimentos más allá de la carne humana, y los detalles se reparten en cada página: sopa minestrone, tocino y huevos, un sándwich de atún, gelatina, pretzels, galletas Oreo, cóctel de gambas, estofado de vagabundo, algodón de azúcar rosa, hamburguesas... Este es un libro que nunca olvida que tenemos que comer para vivir, y comer carne humana rara vez hace que los caníbales estén demasiado llenos para comer platos más tradicionales.
Las víctimas de Maren son una lista de nombres en su corazón: lleva una ficha por cada persona cuya vida ha quitado, y existen como individuos en su memoria. Ella está traumatizada por cualquier recordatorio de quiénes eran y qué esperaban lograr en su vida. A pesar de no poder detenerse, Maren sabe que es moralmente incorrecto quitar una vida. Pero no es como si ella fuera indiscriminada. Cuando otro niño le ofrece cigarras muertas en un campamento de verano, Maren se da la vuelta y dice que esas son cosas que no están destinadas a comerse. Estar obligada a comer personas no la hace menos sensible al tabú de comerse a otros seres. Maren se fija en el olor de lo que cada persona ha comido y cómo permanece en su aliento. El hedor a carne podrida sigue a los caníbales, y Maren se enjuaga constantemente el sabor a sangre de la boca.
De manera convincente, esta novela no deja atrás a sus víctimas, y permanecen obstinadamente completas. Están de duelo y la pérdida de sus cuerpos es importante, a pesar de que su destrucción era inevitable. Cuando Maren finalmente encuentra una conexión y una forma de vida, es menos un triunfo que un compromiso, y hace que el lector tenga hambre de una alternativa que no está disponible en el mundo de esta novela.
No todos los libros sobre los derechos de los animales hacen obvia su ética subyacente, y “Hasta los Huesos” está lejos de ser una novela polémica. En cambio, es una meditación encantadora y reflexiva sobre el tabú y la compulsión, el deseo y la repulsión. También es una novela bien contada y entretenida. Ambas son razones igualmente convincentes para comenzar a leerla.
CAWPILE: 6,85
Reseña completa sin spoilers en mi canal de YouTube ➡ Maponto Lee 📚 Link aquí!
Aunque en su mayoría es reservada para sí misma, Maren es involuntariamente encantadora, con un irónico sentido del humor y una cortesía inherente que tiende a traerle problemas. Le resulta imposible evitar que la gente se interese por ella; como cualquier adolescente, tiene que escudriñar sus motivaciones. Cuando Maren finalmente conoce a otros caníbales, descubre que todos eligen a sus víctimas por diferentes razones, un hecho que la obliga a lidiar con si existe o no un argumento moral válido para hacer ese tipo de distinción sustanciosa.
DeAngelis no menciona abiertamente el veganismo o los derechos de los animales en su libro, y abstenerse de comer humanos ciertamente no haría que los personajes fueran comensales éticos. Sin embargo, la autora se aventura en los reconocimientos de que cuando las personas que saben que ella es vegana escuchan que ha escrito un libro sobre caníbales, piensan que es extraño, hilarante o ambas cosas. Como menciona en los agradecimientos del libro, la versión corta es que ella cree que el mundo sería un lugar mucho más seguro si nosotros, como individuos y como sociedad, analizáramos nuestra práctica de comer carne junto con sus consecuencias ambientales y espirituales. Este sentimiento es innegablemente cierto, pero no es necesariamente un punto que se destaca en esta novela.
Para DeAngelis, el canibalismo no es un sustituto de comer animales, y no ofrece un marco filosófico para lo que alguien debería comer. Cualquier argumento que se haga en esta novela solo está disponible en una lectura atenta del texto, pero está allí. DeAngelis tiene buen ojo para los detalles y los escenarios, y el mundo que ha creado es totalmente realizado y vibrante. Por ejemplo, lleva al lector hasta el momento en que Maren debe comerse a alguien especial y luego, evitándonos los detalles sangrientos, detiene abruptamente su descripción de los eventos: solo hay un antes y un después. Antes, un humano; después, algo de ropa rota en una bolsa de plástico y sangre fresca debajo de las uñas de Maren. El momento real del consumo es vacío, y ese vacío consciente contrasta fuertemente con la vívida notación de DeAngelis de todo lo demás que consumen los personajes.
De hecho, “Hasta los Huesos” menciona alimentos más allá de la carne humana, y los detalles se reparten en cada página: sopa minestrone, tocino y huevos, un sándwich de atún, gelatina, pretzels, galletas Oreo, cóctel de gambas, estofado de vagabundo, algodón de azúcar rosa, hamburguesas... Este es un libro que nunca olvida que tenemos que comer para vivir, y comer carne humana rara vez hace que los caníbales estén demasiado llenos para comer platos más tradicionales.
Las víctimas de Maren son una lista de nombres en su corazón: lleva una ficha por cada persona cuya vida ha quitado, y existen como individuos en su memoria. Ella está traumatizada por cualquier recordatorio de quiénes eran y qué esperaban lograr en su vida. A pesar de no poder detenerse, Maren sabe que es moralmente incorrecto quitar una vida. Pero no es como si ella fuera indiscriminada. Cuando otro niño le ofrece cigarras muertas en un campamento de verano, Maren se da la vuelta y dice que esas son cosas que no están destinadas a comerse. Estar obligada a comer personas no la hace menos sensible al tabú de comerse a otros seres. Maren se fija en el olor de lo que cada persona ha comido y cómo permanece en su aliento. El hedor a carne podrida sigue a los caníbales, y Maren se enjuaga constantemente el sabor a sangre de la boca.
De manera convincente, esta novela no deja atrás a sus víctimas, y permanecen obstinadamente completas. Están de duelo y la pérdida de sus cuerpos es importante, a pesar de que su destrucción era inevitable. Cuando Maren finalmente encuentra una conexión y una forma de vida, es menos un triunfo que un compromiso, y hace que el lector tenga hambre de una alternativa que no está disponible en el mundo de esta novela.
No todos los libros sobre los derechos de los animales hacen obvia su ética subyacente, y “Hasta los Huesos” está lejos de ser una novela polémica. En cambio, es una meditación encantadora y reflexiva sobre el tabú y la compulsión, el deseo y la repulsión. También es una novela bien contada y entretenida. Ambas son razones igualmente convincentes para comenzar a leerla.
CAWPILE: 6,85
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November 23, 2015
1.5 stars. A huge disappointment.
This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2015. A teenage girl who devours people whole if they feel too much affection for her? Yes please, gimme!
And I did love the creepy aspects of the story! It was horrifyingly gross and strange. Unfortunately, that's where my joy with the story ended. There was such a sense of cold detachment throughout the entire story. And not a purposeful detachment,
A big problem with the story was that Maren as a character didn't feel realistic. There was very little description of anything, just static actions and emotionless storytelling. The further I read, the more I just didn't give a shit. By the time I got to the end, I was ready to put it aside. Such a heavy horrific story should have staying power, but this failed to stick to me.
I wanted a delicious morsel that I could savor. What I got was as flavorless as cafeteria oatmeal.
*Bones & All was a freebie from Goodreads. Thanks Goodreads!
This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2015. A teenage girl who devours people whole if they feel too much affection for her? Yes please, gimme!
And I did love the creepy aspects of the story! It was horrifyingly gross and strange. Unfortunately, that's where my joy with the story ended. There was such a sense of cold detachment throughout the entire story. And not a purposeful detachment,
A big problem with the story was that Maren as a character didn't feel realistic. There was very little description of anything, just static actions and emotionless storytelling. The further I read, the more I just didn't give a shit. By the time I got to the end, I was ready to put it aside. Such a heavy horrific story should have staying power, but this failed to stick to me.
I wanted a delicious morsel that I could savor. What I got was as flavorless as cafeteria oatmeal.
*Bones & All was a freebie from Goodreads. Thanks Goodreads!
March 5, 2024
this book is about hopelessness and finding love in the most vile and grotesque side of humanity, the perversion of the purity of childhood and fighting despite knowing the odds are against you and you are choosing to interpret it in the most shallow way possible. the road to hell is paved with good intentions. if you even care.
**buddy read with jonathan**
**buddy read with jonathan**
November 27, 2022
I devoured this book in three sittings. I might describe it, very briefly as "cannibal love." That would be a grave disservice. This book is so, so much more than it's recognizable parts. There is cannibalism, to be sure, but for lack of a better term, let's call it cozy cannibalism, in that it all happens off page. There is no graphic gore. Very, very little blood, and unless you consider a garden variety plastic throwaway shopping bag double-knotted, disgusting, there isn't even any gross-out factor. Well, one tiny bone that stuck with me, but I forgive that.
DeAngelis does a beautiful job of tiptoeing around what seems to be the main subject. (seems being the operative word in that sentence.) The book opens with a bang letting the reader know what has happened with absolutely no description. The genius lies in the fact that I bought the idea. I mean really, really accepted it. Right off the bat. I accepted that a very small child completely devoured a full grown human, bones and all, with no tools, utensils, or even a napkin. Because of the masterful way this opening scene is presented, we the reader have permission to simply move past the fantastical and get to the meat (no pun intended) of the story DeAngelis is really telling us. This story is about the "other."
Maren, our main character is an outsider because of her appetite. Unlike me when I really, really want a pizza, but have the option to eat broccoli instead, Maren is compelled to give in to her desire. There seems no denying it. Another human who shows any kind of emotion toward or acceptance of her becomes so desirable she simply cannot help herself. My stomach was a writhing ball as I read this. Not because I was disgusted, but because when my children were wee I too felt almost compelled to bite them. Not that I ever would, but everyone has felt that urge, when something is so perfect, sweet, cuddly, wonderful... you just want to squeeze. Or pinch. Or...bite. The difference is that most of us do not. We do not eat those we love.
After the initial shock and acceptance of the first few pages, we are briefly invited into poor Maren's sad existence, in which she is denied the very same maternal love I mentioned above that all little ones deserve. Not the biting, of course, but the compulsion caused by undeniable adoration. Not only is she denied this love as a baby, but her whole life. This is the real evidence of the "otherness" DeAngelis is showing us. When we are not accepted and embraced for who we are, we begin to feel shame, regret, and eventually hate ourselves. In this book, that is cannibalism, but in reality it can be anything. There are too many things to list, but every person alive has been "othered" in some way, so fill in your own blank.
The bulk of the book is a road trip of sorts. Maren travels, hoping to find love and acceptance. For the most part, she does not. She is disappointed and hurt over and over. When she finally does find and fall into them on the last few pages of the book I cried. It was so tough to read a level of love that results in the disappearance of that same love. The ultimate sacrifice. This level of devotion, should by all rights, come from a parent, but when it does not and someone is forced to look elsewhere, I imagine it must be that much more satisfying. That much more treasured. How very, very sad that this sometimes leads only to more loneliness.
I can't wait to see this movie. I want so many people to read this book!
11/26/22
I saw the movie a few hours ago and while it wasn't strictly a faithful adaptation, it was beautiful. I cried copious tears. I am so, so glad I saw it.
DeAngelis does a beautiful job of tiptoeing around what seems to be the main subject. (seems being the operative word in that sentence.) The book opens with a bang letting the reader know what has happened with absolutely no description. The genius lies in the fact that I bought the idea. I mean really, really accepted it. Right off the bat. I accepted that a very small child completely devoured a full grown human, bones and all, with no tools, utensils, or even a napkin. Because of the masterful way this opening scene is presented, we the reader have permission to simply move past the fantastical and get to the meat (no pun intended) of the story DeAngelis is really telling us. This story is about the "other."
Maren, our main character is an outsider because of her appetite. Unlike me when I really, really want a pizza, but have the option to eat broccoli instead, Maren is compelled to give in to her desire. There seems no denying it. Another human who shows any kind of emotion toward or acceptance of her becomes so desirable she simply cannot help herself. My stomach was a writhing ball as I read this. Not because I was disgusted, but because when my children were wee I too felt almost compelled to bite them. Not that I ever would, but everyone has felt that urge, when something is so perfect, sweet, cuddly, wonderful... you just want to squeeze. Or pinch. Or...bite. The difference is that most of us do not. We do not eat those we love.
After the initial shock and acceptance of the first few pages, we are briefly invited into poor Maren's sad existence, in which she is denied the very same maternal love I mentioned above that all little ones deserve. Not the biting, of course, but the compulsion caused by undeniable adoration. Not only is she denied this love as a baby, but her whole life. This is the real evidence of the "otherness" DeAngelis is showing us. When we are not accepted and embraced for who we are, we begin to feel shame, regret, and eventually hate ourselves. In this book, that is cannibalism, but in reality it can be anything. There are too many things to list, but every person alive has been "othered" in some way, so fill in your own blank.
The bulk of the book is a road trip of sorts. Maren travels, hoping to find love and acceptance. For the most part, she does not. She is disappointed and hurt over and over. When she finally does find and fall into them on the last few pages of the book I cried. It was so tough to read a level of love that results in the disappearance of that same love. The ultimate sacrifice. This level of devotion, should by all rights, come from a parent, but when it does not and someone is forced to look elsewhere, I imagine it must be that much more satisfying. That much more treasured. How very, very sad that this sometimes leads only to more loneliness.
I can't wait to see this movie. I want so many people to read this book!
11/26/22
I saw the movie a few hours ago and while it wasn't strictly a faithful adaptation, it was beautiful. I cried copious tears. I am so, so glad I saw it.
November 23, 2023
experiencing a strangely compelling inclination towards cannibalism
September 20, 2020
The start of this book was written very well, and the premise was gripping, but the entire story didn't go anywhere from there.
I'm left wondering what the purpose of this book is? I guess grotesque coming of age is a nice niche that needed to be filled? But even then, at the end of the book Maren mentions reading Anne Rice, and I have to say, Interview with the Vampire deals a lot with the same moral questions and situations, but in such a more beautiful and well-written way! So then what is the point of this book? The characters aren't likable or believable. Their justifications are never explained or talked about in a more than surface level way. What motivates Sully?? What is even medically going on with the dad? I also felt like the premise of Maren eating anyone who grows fond of her fell apart, considering she ate some people who were marginally fond of her and not others her were clearly very fond of her.
I'm also not thrilled with how the author handled the eating aspect. She left out almost every detail of it, and I wonder if it's because she didn't want to go into it herself, rather than for any literary purpose. Also I understand that there's some level of surrealism, especially with children physically being able to eat human bones, but . . . can we talk about the physics of it? How does a child eat over 80,000 calories in one sitting within at most a few hours?
The writing style definitely takes a nose dive, and the story never goes anywhere. As other reviewers mention, part of the meaning of the book is the author's urging for humans not to eat meat, and like all the others I don't see anywhere that this comes out in the story?? I don't know . . . I think if other characters had been fleshed out more and the setting had anything except an extreme vagueness it would have been more enjoyable. I also feel the author should have gone all-in on the gore aspect given the premise.
I'm left wondering what the purpose of this book is? I guess grotesque coming of age is a nice niche that needed to be filled? But even then, at the end of the book Maren mentions reading Anne Rice, and I have to say, Interview with the Vampire deals a lot with the same moral questions and situations, but in such a more beautiful and well-written way! So then what is the point of this book? The characters aren't likable or believable. Their justifications are never explained or talked about in a more than surface level way. What motivates Sully?? What is even medically going on with the dad? I also felt like the premise of Maren eating anyone who grows fond of her fell apart, considering she ate some people who were marginally fond of her and not others her were clearly very fond of her.
I'm also not thrilled with how the author handled the eating aspect. She left out almost every detail of it, and I wonder if it's because she didn't want to go into it herself, rather than for any literary purpose. Also I understand that there's some level of surrealism, especially with children physically being able to eat human bones, but . . . can we talk about the physics of it? How does a child eat over 80,000 calories in one sitting within at most a few hours?
The writing style definitely takes a nose dive, and the story never goes anywhere. As other reviewers mention, part of the meaning of the book is the author's urging for humans not to eat meat, and like all the others I don't see anywhere that this comes out in the story?? I don't know . . . I think if other characters had been fleshed out more and the setting had anything except an extreme vagueness it would have been more enjoyable. I also feel the author should have gone all-in on the gore aspect given the premise.
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