gimley reviewed Hunger by Roxane Gay
Review of 'Hunger' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Bodies are boundaries, but Roxane has no boundaries between her readers and herself. Though sometimes she makes us wait, it is not out of any hesitation to reveal her story but as part of her craft. She is more comfortable as a literary character than in the world, where she is judged and assaulted and can't find a space for herself. I don't know if this counts as a spoiler but her parents find out what happened to her only because she tells us in her book. In writing (and in reading) she is safe and she is powerful and, most of all, in control. In this book, she tries to bridge the gap between the real and the written by bringing her body and her hunger into word-space.
It isn't so rare to find a person who prefers non-physical realities to the so called real. The internet is full …
Bodies are boundaries, but Roxane has no boundaries between her readers and herself. Though sometimes she makes us wait, it is not out of any hesitation to reveal her story but as part of her craft. She is more comfortable as a literary character than in the world, where she is judged and assaulted and can't find a space for herself. I don't know if this counts as a spoiler but her parents find out what happened to her only because she tells us in her book. In writing (and in reading) she is safe and she is powerful and, most of all, in control. In this book, she tries to bridge the gap between the real and the written by bringing her body and her hunger into word-space.
It isn't so rare to find a person who prefers non-physical realities to the so called real. The internet is full of them. And it's an understandable stance because the world has a lot of awful in it. Arguably, Roxane Gay's real world was especially awful.
In the writen world, Ms. Gay's weight is the effect and gang rape is the cause. The real world is more complicated. To me, it looks more like the story of someone who was unique and hated how that made her feel alone and rejected. Now her difference is celebrated but back then it made her feel isolated. Not that she doesn't sometimes still feel isolated now. Her writing is how she tries to connect with us. We feel the connection, but does she? I think she's still hungering for acceptance and I hope my 4 stars help a bit.
