"And I realized, I would never stop learning about the ways people fail each other."

What Hunger is "a haunting coming-of-age tale following the daughter of Vietnamese immigrants, Ronny Nyugen, as she grapples with the weight of generational trauma while navigating the violent power of teenage girlhood."

This story has so much to it, and I loved that the use of "hunger" as a theme was both literal and metaphorical. Ronny is hungry for actual flesh, but she also craves freedom, understanding, and acceptance. She's got a lot to be angry about, and she's not afraid to act on it.

I had such high hopes that What Hunger would be a five star read, but unfortunately it was a three star for me. I felt the pacing was too slow and this might sound weird, but I wanted more cannabilism! It was still good story about how people process grief and family dynamics.

This book was absolutely wild and I loved it. This book had cannibalism, feminine rage, trauma and body horror. This book reminded me a lot of the eyes are the best part, which was one of my favorite reads this year.

I was taken by the idea of Vietnamese teenage cannibals and this book delivered for me, though more as a dark contemporary YA than horror. I could see the comparison to Jennifer's Body because Ronny, the troubled FMC, bites off a boy's earlobe after he rapes her, igniting her hunger for human flesh.

But the cannibalism aspect is mostly in the desire for it rather than a scary horror element throughout. However, I thought it was a very good and easy to read exploration of generational trauma and real life horrors. And it captured the revulsion and the fascination with this taboo.

Ronny and her family are wrecks after her only brother is killed in a car crash. Her father drinks too much, her mother stays in her room, and they're abusive at times when together. Ronny, adrift, acts out, and becomes obsessed with the taste of human flesh. But she becomes labeled as a freak and a pervert at school instead of anyone learning the truth behind her revenge. The only person she could confide in is dead.

I was intrigued by the ways this tight-knit family protected each other and still loved each other even as they acted out their traumas on each other. The story covers some very dark and very gritty subjects that teens would relate to. I learned a lot about how hard it was for Vietnamese boat people to integrate into America and how this instinct for survival and assimilation impacted their family life.

I also appreciated the vivid descriptions of food and the intersections with cannibalism as a survival strategy. I also love books about dark family secrets.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Feminine rage pushed to the extremes.

What is interesting about this book is that it wasn't a page turner. I wasn't staying up late just to see what happened next, but at the same time, I kept coming back to it. Like it was tugging on my sleeve and begging to be unleashed.

Veronica, Ronnie, to her friends, is just a 14 year old girl coping with trauma (both generational and her own), immigrant parents, grief, school and a newly insatiable hunger. This book is heavy. There are not a lot of light moments but it is important to bear witness to the impossible weight on this character's shoulders.

I don't want to talk about the instances that lead up to her actions (check trigger warnings) because these happenings and how they unfold are the catalysts for her hunger. I do want to comment on how open and harshly honest this story is about growing up in a house with immigrant parents. This is why books are so important - to give us glimpses into a reality that we do not live in.
My heart broke for Veronica. The dynamics are hard and there is no fault. Her parents were trying to give her a good life and protect her from their past but at the same time she feels isolated and cannot begin to understand who she is without fully knowing them. At 14, I cannot imagine trying to wade through that balance of honoring, transcending, and respecting a culture that you feel both connected with and disconnected from. Catherine Dang did an incredible job putting all of these emotions into words and making us feel the same burning rage and hurt that Veronica felt.

This book is dark but if you want a story about a girl fighting back, navigating layers of trauma and grief, and one that honors Vietnamese culture - this is it.

What Hunger by Catherine dang
I immediately requested this arc of netgalley when I read the synopsis. Thank you to netgalley and Simon and Schuster.

A coming of age story with female rage, first generational trauma, and occasional cannibalism. The book centers around Veronica or Ronny and her experience with grief and rage all while being a 14 year old girl.
Ronny is the daughter of Vietnam War refugees.
Throughout the book there is always a constant reminder or comparison of the immigrant experience vs being a first generation American. At the beginning of this book the family suffers a great loss. Ronny’s brother passes away from a car accident which sends the family into a grief ridden rollercoaster. Distraught from her brother’s death, Ronny attempts to appear normal by participating in normal teenage activities but unfortunately a traumatic night at a party leads her into an obscure obsession or hunger for flesh.

"Because what was more fun than good food? Nothing."

We support women's wrongs and rights in this household. An amazing, quick-paced horror story that dives into the life-altering injustices of the world, feminine rage, and vengeance at its finest.

And a special shout-out for it being set in my home state of Missouri!

What Hunger is a grisly coming of age story about a Viet-American girl trying to make sense of the world after a tragedy. Trigger warning for sexual assault about 30% of the way through the book, but otherwise this was a good read! Right up there with Bones and All for me! Veronica babe, you should've bit him harder.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the eARC.

I’m not necessarily sure what I expected out of this book but the emotions it brought out of me were another level. The grief, the pain, the anger, the unknown. I wanted to know so much more about Me and Ba. And Tommy, and Will.

Honestly Ronny was the character I was almost least interested in but was still so invested.

i knew i had to read this book when it said it was for fans of both little fires everywhere and jennifer's body. and it was!

this reminded me a bit of bestiality, in being about how the violence of womanhood and war and trauma can be borne from mother to daughter. but i loved how this one made that a form of power too.

the way characters and dialogue were written sometimes took me out of it — things felt a bit convenient, or tell-y not show-y — but i loved the story of this family and also i am now very hungry.

because of the food descriptions, to be clear.

I loved this book even more than I expected to. Though it's been likened to Jennifer's Body, I would argue it has a much stronger Carrie vibe.
The story centers on Ronny, a Vietnamese-American high schooler whose family is rocked by tragedy. As she struggles with grief and tries to navigate her social life, she also confronts her own awakened feminine rage and a new, burgeoning hunger. I found her raw emotion and isolation from her family and friends to be incredibly compelling. I also particularly enjoyed her relationship with her brother, Tommy, and the satisfying twists—even the ones I anticipated. Please note: this book contains some descriptive material, so check the trigger warnings beforehand. Thanks to @SimonBooks and @netgalley for the review copy.

What in incredibly unique and mind blowing premise.

The way Catherine Dang mixes the Vietnamese culture, the Vietnamese American experience and grief in the perspective of a young teenage girl then throws in a little bit of horror is a masterpiece.

I felt all of the emotions! I was sad, I laughed, I was horrified, I was nauseous, I was proud, I felt the love. You don’t really understand the way Vietnamese parents show love until you experience it and this book made me feel that.

A horrifyingly bloody story of a teen coming of age story. While starting high school and going through a tragedy at home, Veronica is trying to navigate her new life. With difficult relationships at home, Veronica is trying to find her place in her friend group. While at a party, a boy gets a bit too touchy and she literally bites him back. Which was satisfying to read. Her new hunger is constantly making her ache for more meat. This was so raw and full of unresolved trauma, religious confusion and family drama. Despite describing some of the most tasty Vietnamese food, her hunger for bloody raw meat did not faze me at all. I enjoyed this one from start to finish and it’s definitely a story that everyone should read.

Girlhood is rough enough; add starting a new grade, losing a brother, trying to figure out who you are, and developing a desire for flesh and blood. Just the typical girlhood.

I dove into this one blind and was taken on a wild, haunting ride! A genre mash-up of coming-of-age + horror, Dang’s debut follows Ronny Nguyen as she grapples with the grief of her brother’s death and the collapse of her family in the summer before she attends high school.
This book is visceral, raw, and a provocative exploration of grief, generational trauma, and feminine rage. I loved the authentic family dynamics, as well as Ronny’s character growth from adolescence to adulthood! The book includes rich descriptions of Vietnamese-American food, repressed war-time memories, and cultural history providing context on the immigrant experience and search for identity in America. Readers who enjoy horror books and emotionally charged stories that explore darker themes such as cannibalism, body horror, and rage will find this new release packs a punch!

he atmosphere is heavy, not from constant sadness, but from Ronny’s restless energy, soothed only by eating raw meat. Those moments are described with unsettling vividness, in contrast to the otherwise spare prose. As her hunger is sated, her connections with family—first her aunt, then her mother—begin to heal. The family dynamics are layered and compelling.

I’d compare it more to The Eyes Are the Best Part by Monika Kim than to The Lamb: both follow daughters in flux, grappling with change and dangerous cravings, but What Hunger feels more unnerving due to Ronny’s young age. Disturbing, complex, and strangely tender—I’d recommend reading them together.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

-warnings for graphic SA, body horror, violence, cannibalism-

This was a quick and dark read that kept me turning the pages, but I would even say this would appeal to younger readers as well since it read like a YA novel despite the dark subject matter. We follow Veronica, a 14 year old daughter of Vietnamese immigrants who is dealing with not only the general struggle of coming of age between cultures, microaggressions, and overbearing parents, but the added trauma of the sudden loss of her older brother and a violent s*xual assault. All of this bursts out as her rage manifests itself as an uncontrollable craving for human flesh, and she grows strong and fearless as she seeks to hurt and haunt those who wrong her.

I couldn't get 100% into the story and actually wished it had been a bit longer or darker despite not being a huge horror fan, but it was an interesting concept and I liked the unexpected ending (!) and that she gets a bit closer to her parents.

to sum it up: jennifer’s body meets generational trauma!

“what hunger” follows veronica, or ronnie, a 14-year-old daughter to vietnamese parents who immigrated to the united states to flee communism in their home country. about to start high school, ronnie’s life is average enough; until one summer day, tragedy strikes the nguyen family and ronnie is left trying to pick up the pieces of her life. ronnie is filled with emotions she’s not entirely sure how to process: rage, toward her family for being so secretive about their past and their treatment towards her and her brother, tommy; rage toward perpetrators of violent acts that occur throughout the novel; grief; the desire to fit in, how we all felt in high school in our teenage skin; and the desire to break free of it all. not for the squeamish, “what hunger” is a visceral portrayal of a young girl going to extremes to reclaim a feeling of power she feels has been taken from her and the women around her.

seeing as jennifer’s body is one of my, if not my most favorite, movie of all time, i just HAD to read this when it was sent to me because of the comparison. and i could definitely see the similarities—a teenage girl with an insatiable hunger and a vengeance towards men and the danger they present.

i definitely struggled with some parts of this novel, mainly due to certain graphic depictions of body horror. i can be a bit squeamish, sue me! no matter what, though, i felt compelled to keep reading. i was eating it up—pun intended. all i wanted was to see what ronnie would do next. and the ending had me kind of gagged not going to lie. definitely a wild ride of a story that i absolutely flew through!

3.5 stars rounded up.

thank you to simon and schuster for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Bon Appetit! As a meat lover who salivates when I go into a butcher shop, What Hunger was a tasty treat. It checked off all the things I love about a great book: character growth (via coming of age tale), emotional drama, family and cultural baggage, and a dark and gritty storyline. And it delivered on all fronts. This is one that will stay with me a very long time. Definitely read it if you like twisted and uncomfortable stories. Muwahahahaha!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Being a fourteen year-old girl is lousy, even without overprotective parents and a big brother headed off to college. Everything’s growing in weird ways, your hormones are zig-zagging all over the place, your body doesn’t know how to regulate things like oil and sweat, and let’s not forget periods and everything that comes with that bugger. It’s far too easy to break a fourteen year-old girl if you know where to hit her and the fact of the matter is there are far too many people who know just where girls are vulnerable.

What Hunger takes teenager Veronica “Ronny” Ngyuen’s naivety and built-up rage and brings them together in one cataclysmic event for the character, striking her ignorance down with one motion and replacing it with a seething need for action. Where before Ronny was aimless, she now has a mission. Where there was no opinion, there is now a desire. The near-constant teenage need for rebellion and Ronny’s craving for more and more of what the western world has to offer her: soda pop, sweets, pizza, cute clothing, filet mignon…It all only serves to power her changing mind and body in a time when a teenage girl can feel so out of control. It’s a fantastic book. 4⭐️


I was provided a copy of this title by the author and publisher via Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: AAPI Fiction/Coming of Age/Feminist Horror/Horror/OwnVoices/Women’s Fiction