Hungry for More Worlds

Eliza Clark’s collection of short stories She’s Always Hungry is a delightfully bizarre journey through the absurd and grotesque that reveals various themes and genres fueled with humor and unsettling, yet gripping, storytelling.

The following text includes descriptions of eating disorders, sexualized violence, and body shaming. If you are looking for support, you can find it in Göttingen here: Women’s Emergency Helpline and Psychiatric Emergency Care.

By Anna Savchuk

Picture (cropped): Via Pixabay, CC0

Eliza Clark’s She’s Always Hungry is more than just a collection of short stories – but rather a multitude of universes that the author creates in her exploration of the absurd, and the realities of human existence. One of the captivating and engaging aspects of the book lies within the variety of genres: Starting from sci-fi and dystopia, finishing with a thriller and bizarre Google review format of a Chinese-Italian takeaway restaurant, her storytelling forms a kaleidoscope of strange worlds. Each story reveals Clark’s flair for genre-blending and her unique voice. The choice of genres seems unusual and surprising, as they do not interfere with each other, but instead create a transition that leaves an aftertaste of thrill rather than confusion making the collection a kind of journey beyond the horizon.

When Beauty Becomes a Beast

The opening story Build the Body Like Mine introduces readers to a narrator with disordered eating and body image issues. Eliza Clark vividly describes the mental state of the character and her struggles to accept herself as she is, without mentioning specific body measurements or weights, making the story universal and relatable without triggering individuals with similar struggles. Although set in a contemporary world, it is striking how far one can go to achieve certain ideals. That’s where the uncanny and unpleasant details of the extreme weight loss methods come to light. To emphasize the absurdity of such self-hate and desperate measures, Eliza Clark creates a disturbing parasite that boosts weight loss by consuming the host’s excess calories, a grotesque but strangely compelling metaphor for the extremes people will choose to achieve their desired body. The revolting descriptions play effectively with the reader’s imagination and make them reflect on the sickening consequences of unrealistic beauty standards.

Shake Well dives into the questions of self-acceptance and the influence of people’s opinions on the developing teenage mind. Poppy is a schoolgirl struggling with the all-too-common but deeply distressing battle of acne and the temptation to squeeze those annoying pimples to calm herself down. Her anxiety and self-hate are intensified by her mother’s blunt comments: »In the car with my mam, she looks at me and sighs. She tells me my skin looks terrible. Like that’s meant to be news.« The story delves into Poppy’s toxic relationships with her family and boyfriend, which ultimately lead to damaging self-image. As a result, this pushes her to purchase a secret acne remedy from the dark web – a decision that ultimately changes her life in unexpected and unsettling ways, as her appearance becomes entirely dependent on the mysterious substance. Eliza Clark employs her trademark dark humor combined with sharp social commentary to explore themes of desperation, self-image, and the lengths people will go to for acceptance.

Distorted Realities

The diversity of Eliza Clark’s worlds can be seen all around the collection. The short story She’s Always Hungry is set in a dystopian, matriarchal universe where men are seen as a means of recreation, reminiscent of Margaret Atwood’s novel The Handmaid’s Tale. Such an allusion evokes the feeling of unease and understanding of the various possible forms of human civilization. The names of the characters mimic the way Atwood uses them in her work. For instance, Mary’s Samuel, Kitty’s John, Rosie Andrews’ John. Such a technique makes the short story even more bizarre and intriguing, as readers dive directly into the universe without any prior introduction or long explanations. In this parallel matriarchal dimension, men are subject of constant opression and violence, reflecting the themes of gender discrimination and the strict roles prescribed for men and women. As the story unfolds, the reader learns about the customs of the village and the dreadful female creatures that pose a great danger to the community. They enforce the strict matriarchal hierarchy, while perpetuating the cycle of oppression and violence that serves as a commentary on power dynamics and the fragility of societal constructs.

In the sci-fi world of Hollow Bones, a scientist studying alien cultures becomes the unwitting host of a luminescent parasite after a tear in her spacesuit which allows the organism to burrow into her thigh. The unsettling progression of the parasite’s effects is described in eerie details, thus, making the story sound uncanny but realistic. The paradox of the world lies in its creatures, such as intelligent furry alien creatures who can successfully perform surgery on the infected patient, creating an even more confusing vibe and feeling of the universe. At the heart of Hollow Bones is an exploration of the uncomfortable relationship we have with our bodies, which are vulnerable to change, be it injury, decay or transformation, but which should be cherished and accepted in all their forms.

Shadows of the Human Condition

At its core, She’s Always Hungry delves into the human condition, experimenting with themes of desire, obsession, and identity. However, while the stories bristle with creativity and showcase Clark’s flair for the uncanny, the collection’s brevity sometimes leaves its ideas feeling underexplored. For all its inventiveness, readers may find themselves caught between wanting more and waiting for certain stories to conclude. The Shadow Over Little Chitaly keeps readers wondering and guessing about what could have possibly happened in the story and whether it is even real. Created as a series of Google reviews for an Italian-Chinese takeaway, the story blurs the lines between reality and absurdity, where the ordinary becomes deeply strange. Each review gets more and more bizarre, describing deeply unsettling food orders, and leaving many questions unanswered. Towards the end, the deep-seated fear increases and makes readers wonder whether the whole chain of occurrences is the result of a culinary mishap, or something more sinister.

The critical points of victim blaming are exposed in The Problem Solver, which covers the events following the rape of the narrator. The short length of the story does not make it any less powerful in its exploration of trauma, societal indifference, and the harsh scrutiny often placed on victims. Even though there is no guilt in the protagonist’s actions, she is accused by people from her everyday life: »Sarah-from-Work’s boyfriend, the barista from her favorite coffee shop, a tattoo artist she’s friendly with. No women, though.« The scariest and most absurd aspect of the story is the way people around the narrator choose to ignore her suffering and mental distress, turning a blind eye to her vulnerability and refusing to intervene when she is in danger. Their silence enables the rapist to commit his act without facing any consequences. Adding to the horror, they compound her trauma by accusing her of provocative behavior, launching cruel online attacks instead of offering empathy or support – never even having the courage to look her in the eye.

The She’s Always Hungry collection showcases creativity and sharp social commentary, leaving readers longing for more captivating stories. Whether delving into body horror, social indifference, or the dark absurdities of everyday life, the stories provoke reflection on the core of what it means to be human, revealing the darkness and vulnerability that lurk beneath our actions and beliefs.