Season to Taste or How to Eat Your Husband by Natalie Young

A review copy was provided by Tinder Press in return for an honest review

Just when I think I can't possibly be grossed out by a book any more, Season to Taste comes along! I honestly thought I was immune at this stage. Especially after reading Cows by Matthew Stokoe. 

Lizzie s husband is dead. He was working in the garden when she attacked him with a shovel, twice. Being so unconventional herself, Lizzie doesn't trust the conventional methods of corpse concealment such as burying.  The only way to truly be rid of the body is to dismember him....and eat him. In devouring him she devours her past, completely erasing his existence.

This book really rely's on it's shock factor. Lizzie goes into a lot of detail whilst describing how to cook the various parts of her husbands body. I don't know why but the descriptions of her cooking his hand really made me gag.  Its probably because most cannibalistic serial killers prepare human meat to look like a cut from an animal in an attempt to conceal it's origins. Not Lizzie though, she likes to suck on juicy finger meat..

I didn't really warm to any of the characters in this story. I'm not saying that a character has to be likeable for me to enjoy a novel but I like to feel something for them be it joy, happiness or hatred. In fact it made me understand things from her husbands perspective a bit more. Lizzie just seemed devoid of any emotions whatsoever. As for Tom, I really didn't understand him at all. 

Pacing was another issue for me. Considering the subject matter I would have expected a little more suspense but it just sort of, ambles along. I actually got tired with the consumption of body parts and found it to be a little repetitive. Also, I would have thought that if my other half suddenly disappeared and I suddenly started lighting huge bonfires every night, that the neighbours might notice and become concerned?  

Maybe the whole town ignoring what was blindingly obvious was meant to part of the dark humour that was mentioned. It must have gone over my head because I can't remember cracking a smile at any time while reading.

The ending, like the whole novel was fairly uneventful for me. 

I know this review sounds quite negative but it's not mean't to be. I don't want to put people off reading this novel if they have been eagerly waiting for it.  I think this was a case of right book wrong time. I'm just not at a point in my life where I can find Lizzie Prain relatable. Perhaps people who have experience long term relationship issues or marriage breakdown would be able to take more from this story.

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