The Glutton

The 18th century is drawing to a close, and unrest grips France. Tarare has been born into a life of slender means, but when a sudden act of violence ignites in him a ferocious appetite, his extraordinary abilities to eat make him a marvel throughout the land. Travelling to Paris and beyond, through the heart of the Revolution, he journeys into a world of upheaval and depravity, in which the hunger of one peasant is matched only by the insatiable demands of the people of France.

About the Author

A. K. Blakemore is a poet and novelist from London. Her first novel, The Manningtree Witches, won the Desmond Elliott Prize for Best First Novel and was shortlisted for the Costa and RSL Ondaatje Prizes. Her second novel, The Glutton, is published by Granta Books.

Reviews

"I was only a couple of pages into A.K. Blakemore's The Glutton when I realised that I was, undoubtedly, reading the best book of the year... Blakemore is, undoubtedly, the star of her generation" ―Big Issue

"Strangely wonderful... Blakemore mines the reader's capacity for empathy... An incredibly impressive follow-up to the acclaimed The Manningtree Witches. The Glutton is a delicious novel on hunger and survival that is as original as it is refreshing" ―Irish Times

"The Glutton is remarkable for its beautiful language, for its hallucinatory imagery, and for its ability to mingle these things with the world of 18th-century poor folk... The Glutton is certain to be one of the most remarkable novels of the year" ―Guardian

"Blakemore takes Tarare's life, recorded only in a medical paper, and puts the meat on the bones. But what meat it is. Blood drips from every page as she creates a banquet of gorgeously crafted, unexpected images. You'll find yourself turning them over in your mind for days..." ―Evening Standard

"Blakemore is a breathtakingly fine writer... An award-winning poet before turning to fiction, she can conjure with equal force the beauty of the natural world and the deathbed stench of rotting wounds. There are few writers who can be truly likened to Hilary Mantel, but Blakemore is one... Blakemore shares her rare ability to reanimate the past in a way that makes it knowable to us, while remaining true to itself" ―Observer

Dimensions: 12.9 x 2.3 x 19.8 cm