As a huge fan of Eliza Clark and her exploration of dark, unsettling themes, I was thrilled to discover her new collection of short stories. She's Always Hungry was such a fantastic read—eerie, absurd, and so quintessentially Clark. It’s hard to create a truly solid collection of short stories, but Clark absolutely nailed it! These stories dive deep into humanity's grotesque and absurd aspects in a way only she can, making them both haunting and captivating. Eliza Clark has quickly become one of my go-to authors! Seriously can't wait to read more from her!!

ELIZA CLARK DOES IT AGAIN! As in the same case of many short story collections, there were some misses, but the ones that hit HIT. I am not a huge fan of sci-fi, which was about 30% of the stories, but the more fiction and horror-based ones were amazing. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the early release copy.

"She's Always Hungry" by Eliza Clark is a raw and unapologetic exploration of obsession, self-image, and self-destruction. The main character is deeply flawed, and Clark masterfully delves into her compulsions with a mix of dark humor and brutal honesty. The writing is sharp, pulling you into the character’s spiraling thoughts and erratic actions. Though the subject matter can be unsettling, it’s impossible to look away as Clark paints a vivid portrait of desire and emptiness. The pacing is tight, and the dialogue feels authentic, making the story gripping from start to finish. It’s a thought-provoking and intense read for those who enjoy complex, unfiltered narratives.

An eclectic collection of vivid, imaginative work, if you have not yet read from Eliza Clark, this short stories collection is a great point of entry. I really enjoyed Boy Parts, but can acknowledge its literary 'edginess' might not be everyone's cup of tea. She's Always Hungry on the other hand feels more 'loose and fun' readable and less like the author is writing to win prestigious accolades. Overall highly recommend!

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Build a Body Like Mine: 3.5 stars
A decent opener. While the reveal isn't particularly surprisingly, the buildup and overall execution really makes it tongue in cheek and darkly comedic.

The Problem Solver: 3 stars
There's a point to this, but overall not very memorable due to it's very short length.

She's Always Hungry: 4.25 stars
An off-kilter, dark and imaginative folklore—I can see why this ends up being the marquee story for the collection. Vibe-wise reminiscent of Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh.

The Shadow Over Little Chitaly: 5 stars
A collection of food delivery reviews about a mystical Chinese-Italian restaurant. Did Eliza write this while she was high!? This is so silly (in a great way) and oddly mouth-watering, love it!

Hollow Bones: 5 stars
A sci-fi body horror fever dream packed with haunting, surrealist imagery. There's a surprising amount of world building here—now I need the full-length novel taking place in this universe!

Goth GF: 4 stars
A welcoming palette cleanser after a series of out-there, fantastical stories. A candid and grounded depiction of a submissive male, in style that is more reminiscent of the Eliza Clark I'm familiar with (reminds me of Boy Parts).

Extinction Event: 4.25 stars
An extremely effective eco-thriller, vividly envisioned and rightfully anxiety-inducing.

Nightstalkers: 4 stars
Another very nice change of pace with a slice of life teenage angst.

Shake Well: 4.5 stars
This feels like a great fusion of the two modes this collection is operating under so far: depiction of contemporary anxiety (towards beauty in this case) and potent dosage of grotesqueness.

The King: 5 stars
A satirical tale of barbaric power struggle between 2 Gods after global destruction — love the snarky humor in this one!

Company Man: 4 stars
A dream-like psychological suspense with a great setup, the reveal turns out to be a tad predictable.

I’m a big Eliza Clark fan, as I adored her previous novels. This collection fell a little short for me, as I feel Clark’s strengths are in expansive character studies that can’t fit in a short story. Some of these stories I loved- the goth girlfriend story in particular was really well done. Other stories, specifically the sci-if oriented ones, felt too convulsed to properly enjoy. Eliza Clark is very gifted, I just enjoyed her long-form novels more.

She’s Always Hungry is a collection of short stories by Eliza Clark, the author of “Boy Parts” and “Penance.” I have read and really enjoyed Penance so I was excited to read this short story collection.

And wow, what a collection. This is filled with super unique and subversive stories. I never knew what was coming next and I loved it. All the stories are strong which makes this collection strong as a whole.

There were a few stories that I didn’t connect with but there were also some of my favorite short stories of all time, including one that is just reviews of a strange restaurant.

All of the stories are super short. I would say maybe fifty pages at most, which makes this collection very impulsively readable. I was flying through, excited to know what bizarre world I would dive into next.

There are some pretty gross body horror scenes and some of the content is a little dark but that blends perfectly with the humor that is in this collection.

I loved this so much more than I thought I would. If you like super weird stuff, I would recommend this collection!

I love Eliza Clark. This short story collection was everything I look for - weird topics, freaky vibes, clear and direct writing style, and succinct. I ended every story wanting more, and was sad to arrive at the end of this book. I especially loved ‘The Shadow Over Little Chitaly’ and ‘She’s Always Hungry’. My only complaint was that I wish this was longer!!

Thank you to Harper Perennial and NetGalley for the ARC.

I always struggle with short story collections. I never feel like a short story gives me enough to develop any sort of feelings about it. As usual there were some I liked more than others. This one has an interesting mix of themes surrounding the human condition that would make for good discussion. And, to be expected, they get disturbingly weird, which I loved. 3.5 rounded up. It's definitely worth the read.

Despite not being much of a short story reader, Eliza Clark has put together a collection well-suited to my taste. In fact, the strange part about this short story collection is it feels like an amalgam of all the themes I've been reading in the past year (alien substances that might save an apocalyptic earth, water-related body horror, a corrupt and potentially dangerous beauty product, etc.). 

The stories are primarily body horror, with some sci-fi and relationship drama elements. Recurring themes are asymmetrical communication, power imbalances, the depravity of men, and climate catastrophe. Overall I thought these were all solid stories, but I'm not sure they were deep or impactful beyond the initial pleasure of reading - some felt much closer to a McSweeney piece than a standalone short story. 

That being said, they were generally hilarious. I'll keep gobbling up all the weird literary creations Eliza Clark has to offer. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for the e-arc.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!!

I am a huge fan of weird girl horror. I’ve been curious about Eliza Clark’s writing for a while and was all for a short story collection. These stories gave the strangest range and I was into it. Most of them were weird in a way that I really appreciated.

My favorite story was ‘The King’ it was probably one of the funnest I’ve read in a while. I didn’t know where it was going to go and yet it just got crazier. Im all on board. Some more notable ones were ‘Goth GF’ for some cringe factor, ‘The Shadow Over Little Chitaly’ for something random and funny, ‘Nightstalkers’ for something short and sad, & ‘Company Man’ for a good twist. ‘Shake Well’ I really wanted to like but the exploration of an abusive grooming relationship had me squirm. Which I guess is what they wanted.

I’m very interested in reading more of Eliza Clark’s books now and exploring more of her writing.

Grateful for the opportunity to read this early, happy to say it’s my favorite read of the year. I love Eliza Clark’s writing, it feels subversive and darkly funny and feminist as fuck. She delivers in the short story form as well as she does in the novel form. My favorite stories were the first three, but I think the title story takes the cake. It was horrifying and funny and flipped the script on typical male-female relations. I typically feel like within every short-story collection, there are a couple of duds, but this was all killer, no filler. I like the different formats the stores took as well : ads, review websties, typical short story form, etc. I will be buying this for my own library and for many of the readers in my life.

ELIZA CLARK YOU WILL AWAYS BE FAMOUSSS. eliza is truly such an incredible author who has such a way of creating weird and disturbing novels and stories that represent human-ness the good and the bad. a great follow up to penanance and boy parts. anything she writes i will read.

Rating: 4/5

Eliza Clark never fails me!

She's Always Hungry is a collection of stories. They are eerie, razor-sharp, and unsettling. All of these stories left me confused (in a good way!) and thinking about them for days after I finished them. Lots of body horror and dark humor, I was disturbed and laughing throughout.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC!

I really enjoyed Eliza Clark’s book Boy Parts so I was excited to check out her short story collection. Short stories are always hit or miss for me, overall I enjoyed this collection, some stories more than others. My favorites were Extinction Event, Goth GF, and Build a Body Like Mine. Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for this ARC.

This is my favorite book by Eliza Clark. Although I'm not usually a fan of short story collections, this one stood out with its quirky, diverse stories and a hint of horror. If you enjoy Ottessa Moshfegh and Mona Awad, this collection will hit all the right notes. While many stories echo Clark's other work, it was fascinating to see her explore sci-fi and dystopian themes. Clark's writing always lingers in my mind long after I finish her stories.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for the advance copy.

Be sure to grab your copy on November 12!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for this ARC.

I was a big fan of Eliza’s book Boy Parts and I was excited to read her short story collection! I enjoyed these stories and they were full of gross scenes and Clark’s signature humor.

My favorites were Build a Body Like Mine, The Shadow Over Little Chitaly and Goth Gf.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for this ARC.

I was a big fan of Eliza’s book Boy Parts and I was excited to read her short story collection! I enjoyed these stories and they were full of gross scenes and Clark’s signature humor.

My favorites were Build a Body Like Mine, The Shadow Over Little Chitaly and Goth Gf.

Short stories can be a hit or miss for me. Overall, I enjoyed most of the stories in this collection by Eliza Clark, but they were not as dark as I was expecting. Various topics are explored throughout these stories - such as disordered eating, SA, climate change, homophobia, grooming, racism, etc. A full breakdown and list of triggers are available at the back of the book.

I will admit, a few stories felt a bit too smart for me and left me feeling confused. I particularly enjoyed the stories in the second half of the book more. If you enjoy weird books, check this one out on 11/12.

My favorites in the collection:
- Goth GF
- Extinction Event
- Shake Well
- The King
- Company Men

3 stars! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

although i'm not the biggest fan of short story collections (as there is always bound to be stories that i like less than the others), clark's writing for the most part managed to draw me in. i do think her specialty is the more contemporary leaning stories that make interesting observations of a gamut of human behaviors that are under-explored around what is means to crave something in the modern age. from teenagers who don't know how to deal with their emotions to adults who also don't know how to deal with their emotions, stories span many generations as well as incorporate a magical realism element for some stories as well. i just don't think the sci-fi/magical realism heavy stories were the strong suit here. (3.5)

Eliza Clark's debut short story collection is a masterclass in dark humor, visceral storytelling, and unflinching explorations of human hunger. This bold and visionary work cements Clark's status as a fearless and innovative writer.

Each story in the collection is a razor-sharp examination of our most primal desires, from the literal (a woman hosting a parasite) to the metaphorical (a teenager's quest for flawless skin). Clark's prose is both lyrical and unsettling, conjuring an atmosphere of creeping unease that lingers long after the final page is turned.

The collection's strength lies in its versatility, effortlessly shifting between genres and tones while maintaining a cohesive narrative thread. Clark's characters are multidimensional and relatable, their struggles and triumphs rendered with unflinching honesty.

Standouts include the opening story, which sets the tone for the collection's exploration of bodily autonomy and the blurring of boundaries, and the haunting tale of the scientist tending to alien flora, which raises poignant questions about our responsibility to the natural world.

Throughout, Clark's signature dark humor adds a layer of complexity, making even the most uncomfortable themes palatable. This is a collection that will appeal to fans of Carmen Maria Machado, Ottessa Moshfegh, and anyone who revels in the unconventional.

*Recommendation:* For readers who crave bold, genre-pushing fiction that lingers in the psyche long after the final page is turned. Be prepared for a wild ride into the depths of human hunger.