First published in 2023

320 pages

Historical Fiction, Literary, Dark

This is a fictionalization of a real man's life, known as the glutton of Lyon. Set in 1798 France, in a Versailles hospital, the nuns are charged with the task of always watching over Tarrare as he lay dying, recounting his life as the infamous glutton of Lyon. He as a peasant turned showman, his distended belly evidence of his uncontrollable appetite. He is tortured by his bottomless appetite rumored to have been caused by a golden fork he swallowed. The deeply vivid imagery is stunning; I often paused and sat with a phrase or sentence for minutes at a time, in awe of Blakemore's artistry. 

Blakemore shines an artistic light on figures pushed to the edges of society, beautifully demonstrating themes of desire, hunger, poverty, and survival. This is a disturbing novel, but don't let that deter you. It's beautiful and odd and wonderful. The symbolism and imagery of Tarrare's bottomless apatite kept me hooked; the English major in me wanted to pull it apart and examine all its nooks and crannies. This novel must be studied and analyzed. It's beauty and complexity must not go unnoticed.