Member Reviews

I received a sampler of this ARC from NetGalley and Faber and Faber Ltd in exchange for a free and honest review.

The story featured was titled "The shadow of little Chitaly" - a strange story which follows the reviews of a restaurant that is a fusion of Chinese and Italian cuisine with varying success. An interesting glimpse into this short story collection and I am eager to read the full book.

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From what I have read this book is going to be just as stunning and exciting as Eliza’s other books. Such a fantastic author and definitely one to keep an eye out for!
Thanks to NetGalley for sending me a snippet of the new book!

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Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for a taster story. Completely unhinged and bizarre but a lot of fun. Absolutely loved this short story and cannot wait to read the rest of the collection!

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So sad this was just a small sampler. Loved what I read. It was strange and unique. Looking forward to the release of this short story collection.

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I need more asap - so excited to read the whole thing. The unique format of this short story has enticed me in, and I can’t wait to get my hands on the full thing!!

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Eliza Clark never misses in all the strange, ambitious and eloquent ways that her books give. SO EXCITED to read more!!!

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ive loved eliza clark's other two books and this was an unusual and interesting small sample of her next one, would love more!

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I was kindly given a sample ARC of one of the stories in this collection (‘The Shadow Over Little Chitaly’) by Faber via NetGalley in return for an honest review. Whilst I haven’t yet read the full book, I am very excited for the full release!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Shadow Over Little Chitaly (one of the short stories within this new collection). Following the often absurd experiences of customers at a fictional Chinese-Italian fusion takeaway, this story was gripping and very original. Clark tells the story through a very unique narrative style by providing descriptions of meals, customer service experiences, and communication issues through a series of Google Reviews (or reviews on a similar platform). What I really enjoyed about this story was that it managed to push the bounds of acceptable reality whilst also being humorous (I laughed out loud on the bus whilst reading!).

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(rating for sampler only, I have not read the whole book)

I was initially disappointed when I realized the sampler for She's Always Hungry was just one short story from the collection, "Little Chinitaly", but it's one of the most surprising, funny and disturbing stories I've ever read and I could not shut up telling people about it. I was really confused by the format, which is of reviews of a takeaway, but I felt like I was getting sucked in against my will into an obsession with the strange patterns emerging in the reviews from customers trying to make sense of their unsettling experiences of what seems like a very ordinary thing, ordering a big dirty takeaway. I loved her two novels and am so happy that she's taking the mix of formats she played with in Penance into her short fiction, it feels all very exciting.

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I enjoyed this first strange short story. It's surreal, funny and foodie and I look forward to reading more.

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Eliza Clark is certainly talented writer of dark fiction. I’ve read Boy Parts and Penance has been on my list for forever. This short story sampler reads excitingly and I can’t wait for the whole collection. It’s difficult to judge an entire collection based on a single story, but so far so good!

Be prepared for dark themes, dark humour and dark, tortured characters!

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she is always hungry is a wild ride with its unconventional structures and sharp, dark humor. it’s unsettling, weird, and captivating, even if it’s not as dark as clark’s previous works. as someone who loves short stories, i found the surreal twists and bold storytelling absolutely compelling, though it might not be for everyone.

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I feel like I can’t give an appropriate review of this because I just read a few pages of ‘just eat’ reviews and it’s not made me want to go out and buy the book….

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As a huge fan of weird short story collections, and after thoroughly enjoying Penance by Eliza Clark, I'm very excited for the full release of this book. The story 'The Shadow Over Little Chitaly' is fun, mysterious, bizarre and charming, and I love the way a narrative unfolded through a series of reviews, it felt so fresh and was a joy to read. I truly hope this is representative of the rest of the collection, and that is as strange and entertaining as this short story.

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Dark and alluring Eliza Clark always manages to turn a story on its head. This is no exception, smart, feverish, epic.

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Eliza Clark is back!!!

I am so incredibly excited for this short story collection, and as a person who is usually not a huge short story consumer, this says a LOT. I haven't encountered any author as compelling and dark and humorous as Eliza Clark, I have no doubts the full collection will be just as good as her other works.

I was lucky enough to get a little sampler of this book from NetGalley and the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review, so let me get right to it.

"The Shadow Over Little Chitaly" follows online reviews for a Chinese-Italian fusion restaurant that served increasingly absurd dishes, and may or may not exist. While not as dark as Clark's previous works, it's just as compelling and humorous. If the rest of the collection is anything like this one, I am sure it will be just brilliant.

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I'll be honest, I didn't realise this was a sample, and it left me feeling a little confused too. But I have faith in Eliza Clark, and so I will still be picking up the full length book, to read the other short stories!

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Nobody is doing it like Eliza Clark. This first story was weird in the best way and I can't wait to read the rest of the collection.

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This was bizarre and yet I kept wanting more, just like Chitaly. Hilarious addictive read, can’t wait for more.

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Absolutely hilarious and bizarre at the same time, read it in minutes. Cannot wait to read the full thing when it’s out!

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