I was excited to see a new novel from Chana Porter, especially after The Seep so thoroughly entranced me. (Thanks to Saga for passing along the ARC!) This is a fantastic novel that looks at the insidiousness of corporate control, the bullshit of religious purity culture and especially how its enacted on the female body, an embrace of cooking culture and eating, and looking at the people who manage to survive within it, in particular, a woman who leaves the cult she grew up in, an art student who becomes a con artist, and a woman in a forbidden book that links them both. I do wish we'd gotten a bit more from Beatrice's POV and how she eventually learns how to love her fat. This feels a bit more constrained contained to The Seep, and some of the observations (women's appetites, being devoured, etc) are a bit basic, but the prose is still gorgeous and the way the threads of the story end up weaving together is really well done. Obviously, trigger warnings for disordered eating patterns/thinking around eating. Still worth picking up.

The Thick and the Lean charmed me with the cover, and continued to keep me engaged all the way through the last page. While not a traditional sci-fi/fantasy novel, Chana Porter's work provides a unique and fresh look at the horrors of unchecked corporate power and the struggles that come with a marginalized identity.

Both Beatrice and Reiko are relatable main characters - one growing up and questioning her family's unshakable faith, and the other coming to terms with her lot in life as a lower-class college student. Both of them come into possession of a book - The Kitchen Girl - and through it, find the inspiration to follow what makes them happiest. For Beatrice, it takes her away from her family and directly into a restaurant, where she learns the joys of cooking and eating. For Reiko, it gives her the push to elevate herself through society (using not strictly above-the-table means) and rise out of her lower-class life.

This book was a pleasure to read from start to finish. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a lighter read that still manages to paint a beautiful picture of pleasure in the human existence.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. When I requested this book, I knew I was in for something unique and abstract, something that would make me ask questions and think a little more than the standard romance or fantasy novel does. I loved the cyberpunk aspects, which I was not anticipating based off of the cover and description, but I was pleasantly surprised by it all. This will be a high reccomendation from me! A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads.

The food descriptions alone had me. An odd transfixing tale the likes of what I have never read before. Highly recommended!

This was like sci fi meets dystopia, a total Cyberpunk novel that had me on the edge of my seat. Chana Porter has created a world with a cast of characters that is truly, truly unique. You don't want to miss this one.