Hungerstone

 

    "Almost every woman I have ever met has a secret belief  that she is just on the edge of madness, that there is some deep, crazy part within her, that she must be on guard constantly against 'losing control' 一of her temper, of her appetite, of her sexuality, of her feelings, of her ambition, of her secret fantasies, of her mind." 一(Elana Dykewomon)

    This quote came to mind once I finished Hungerstone. What drew me into this book in the first place was that it's a queer retelling of Carmella. And, while that is precisely what it is, this book expands and focuses on Lenore, our main character. 

    Lenore has been the perfect wife to her husband, Henry, for ten years when we meet her. It's the height of the Industrial Revolution, and her husband owns a steelworks.

    Eleven years before Bram Stoker's Dracula, there was Carmella. A female vampire that only fed upon women's breasts. The original work is ripe for a more heightened queer retelling.

    When I went into this book, I was expecting mystery, gothic estates, isolation, and the horror of 'what is Carmella?'. 

    I didn't really get that at all. 

    But don't be fooled, this was still a fantastic read. Because it's a book about a woman who has repressed everything. Repressed everything so much since her parents died in a horrible accident that Lenore had to bear witness to. She learned to read her elderly Aunt's mood so as not to anger her, and soon Lenore had only one goal: to marry and escape. 

    Ten years later, Lenore doesn't want anything. Only surviving in the high society, she worked so hard to elevate herself and her husband, too. Her wants are only what Henry would want of her. 

    The main problem in this book is that Lenore must fix up and make their new summer home in the countryside suitable for a Shooting party, which Henry sort of springs on Lenore at the last minute. Literally leaving the bulk to the renovation, organizing, and preparing to her. And she is determined to rise to the challenge. She doesn't want to disappoint her husband. 

    The only odd thing is Carmella, a woman they found in an overturned carriage during a storm on their way to the estate. 

    Carmella makes Lenore question everything the longer she stays. Makes Lenore think about what she turned a blind eye to. The things she coward away from. 

    The author does an excellent job of leading us through this story. Getting into Lenore's head so much that we start to feel the pressure and anxiety of the crumbling house that Lenore is trying desperately to fix up in time for this shooting party. We get insight into our main characters through Lenore, a smart woman desperate for security. Which is why she was so naive to what her husband was really like. 

    When we meet her, we get the feeling she once loved Henry; she hoped they would grow closer, but marriage (and Henry) has been a bitter disappointment that Lenore feels she must endure. She doesn't have much of a choice. But she believes she had Henry's trust, which she values greatly. 

    Throughout the book, we, as readers, question why things must be this way. Through that lens, we are Carmella. Carmella is brash. Speaks her mind and opens Lenore's eyes. She says what the reader is thinking. The author leaves us enough breadcrumbs before the significant revelations so we can see what is happening. Showing but not telling, but also slipping in enough doubt so we question whether we are right.

    Lenore hungers for nothing. Wants nothing. Is so repressed in that sense that we can get Carmella's frustration, but at the same time, we understand why Lenore is the way she is. In the beginning, it is calm; it's the way things have been in her marriage for ten years, but it is Camella, and the circumstances Lenore is in that bring out the long-buried hunger in herself.

    Hunger is in its most raw, primal form in this book. Not only to eat, but to want what you want. To be selfish for once. Hunger for something else. Hunger to live, fuck, love, hate, travel, learn, to eat, to eat, to eat. 

    Camella makes Lenore realize this and take her life and her house into her own hands.

    Henry, too, changes as the book progresses. The way Lenore sees him changes once she realizes her own worth and madness. At first, I was just annoyed by him. An entitled man of 'new money' desperately wanting to fit in. Lenore is the one who got him into those circles. Coached him on how to act and present himself, but he resents that she still doesn't fully get it, nor that he feels accepted. Except Lenore is the only one who puts in the effort. Plus, Lenore holds a power over him that would ruin him. A secret she has kept for years. 

    What is annoying about Henry is that Lenore does everything for him. Has done everything for him throughout the 10 years. And he doesn't see it. Henry has something that Lenore does not when we first meet them. He wants what he wants, and he'll get it. Lenore doesn't even know what she wants; her wants are Henry's wants and needs. 

    But by the end of the book, it's a game of chess between wife and husband. There will only be one survivor. 

    This book was a great read. Less vampy and more about a woman choosing herself. Wanting revenge. Choosing to feed her hunger. 

    Page 299: "Damn control. Damn mastery. I want, I lack, I hunger. I will die like all mortal things. At least let me taste a little life before I go."  

    Is a monster a monster for wanting to live? Is a woman wanting a dangerous thing? Of course, we are when we starve. When we repress ourselves, when we hunger and feed ourselves the wrong things, we lose our lust for life.

    Page 252: "What is a monster but a creature of agency?"

    The only thing this book could use more of is scary, bloody vampire stuff. But this was still a fantastic read and an excellent take on Carmella.

    Thank you for reading. 

一The Girl on the Slab Writes Back

    Overall Rating: ★★★★☆