Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Woman, Eating.

I finished reading this a few weeks ago but it's taken me this long to write a review on what I recently read.

This is not your typical vampire novel. There are no sparkling vampires. There's some blood, a little, but not much. I had some expectations, more of the violent kind, sort of like an Interview with the Vampire, but Woman, Eating was so much more.

Lydia is an artist struggling to find her voice and when she begins an internship at a gallery, she believes she may have finally found her tribe. She meets humans, and is taken with Ben, an artist she begins to have feelings for.

But she's constrained; by her true persona, the beliefs her mother has instilled in her since she was young about their demonic origins and Lydia is torn between trying to live a normal life she may be able to have or living within the margins of normalcy and darkness.

Life is hard. She's starving, she's hungry, she's lonely, she misses her mother, she watches food bloggers and wonders what it might be like to eat Japanese food, or any food.

Despite her longevity and the power she keeps tightly wrapped within herself, when Lydia is sexually assaulted by the owner of the gallery, she is stunned. Shocked. Powerless. A feeling she is not accustomed to.

How can this be? Someone with her knowledge, her wisdom and experience, and an inappropriate touch has rendered her into a mere mortal. She does not like this feeling. She does not approve. What can she do?

Lydia will eventually come to terms with her desire to be human, but face the ultimate fact that she is not human. But is that such a bad thing?

Despite it's short length, the author packs a lot in Woman, Eating and it's heavy: issues of race, disability, misogyny, body image, sexual abuse are touched upon, but also societal expectations, personal desires, love and companionship.

Lydia, despite her vampirism, is no different than mortals; she desires love, a purpose, to enjoy food, to enjoy life, seeking a tribe of her own, wonders about her origins and her future.

She's not just hungry for blood to sustain her life, she's hungry for life, to live like everyone else, to belong somewhere and be like everyone else

Lydia is no stranger to the tribulations mortal women face as well; sexism, degradation, her purpose constrained by men and societal expectations, and when she's assaulted, it's still a blatant shock.

How can someone with her power and life still be demeaned? It torments her as she wracks her brain wondering why she didn't speak up or fight back.

Is it because she wants to be like everyone else and just let it go? Or is it something worse?

I was intrigued by Lydia's mother and her origins; how she became a vampire is touched upon but not elaborated. I wished the author had delved more deeply on that subject.

I liked Lydia, I could see us becoming friends. She's sensitive, empathetic and self aware; perhaps because she's really much older than she looks. Some of her habits I could identify with, such as watching food videos and wishing for something you don't have and wish you have.

The writing was good, thoughtful, and though I saw the ending coming, it was satisfying.

There's a lot to digest (pun intended) in Woman, Eating, and it was not the read I had been expecting but it was a different kind of good read for October.

Its not a scary read, but it makes you think, and the issues are as prevalent now or 100 years ago, no matter your age.