Lara Williams (1)

Watching programs on cannibalism, reading horror stories about lovers devoured, reports of people searching the Internet for someone to eat them, I’d think: I get it. My whole life was the push/pull of appetite: wanting to consume but also to be consumed.

This review can also be found on my blog.

This is one of those books that strikes me as being similar to The Pisces in that it will probably be very divisive. The characters are messy and not necessarily enjoyable to read. But I've grown to love reading about messy women and Supper Club was no exception. I found Lara Williams' writing style enthralling. She writes quite simply, but I felt a great depth of emotion while reading this. She was able to describe the most inane of interactions in a way that made me incredibly anxious. This novel also contains far more character examination than plot; Roberta is really trying to figure out who she is and how to make herself happy.

There is a lot to be said in this book about trauma as well as various forms of abuse or toxicity. The majority of Roberta's relationships contain one or both of these, but it's difficult for her to see that just as it's difficult for many survivors of abuse. I did struggle with trying to figure out whether or not Roberta is queer, as one of her toxic 'relationships' is with a queer woman, but by the end I was pretty convinced she was straight and that this was just a seriously codependent friendship. There's also a trans woman in this book who is misgendered when the narrator recounts her childhood and her discovery of the lgbtq community, as a heads up to any trans folks who may read this.

Overall, I found this was very much a worthwhile experience for me. I really enjoyed Supper Club and appreciate how Williams was able to write such a chaotic and messy book while still holding my attention fully. I do think a lot of people will dislike the ending, but I found it to be a satisfying finish to the book. Pick this up if you liked The Pisces. Don't pick this up if you hated The Pisces, dislike reading about women who are constantly making poor life choices, and/or can't stand detailed descriptions of food, drink, and emesis.

content warnings: on-page sexual assault; fatphobia; detailed descriptions of food; on-page self-harm; misgendering; emesis

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A young woman with a lack of direction in life but a great passion for cooking. Her wild, unpredictable artist best friend. The dire need not only to take part in something bigger, but to take control of one's life. Mix these well, combine, cook in your head and your heart forever. "Supper Club" touches on the eternal post-grad struggle of how to be your own person. When Roberta feels like her ability to live her own fun, carefree, fulfilling life has been stolen away--by work, by assailants, by exes, by the rest of the world--she starts, with her best friend Stevie, the Supper Club. The club is an event all about reclaiming women's space, women's bodies, and women's voices from the expectation of others. Tactfully and honestly tackling subjects like sexual violence, emotional abuse, patriarchy, the treatment of fat women, and the treatment of women who do not conform to femininity, this book was a tasty treat from start to finish.… (mehr)

There was some really nice writing here, particularly about being an outsider. I liked the theme of women's friendships, younger women empowering themselves through their own rituals, and all the food writing. But the constant swerve back to misery porn kept me from liking this as much as I would have wished. I think if I'd been a couple of decades younger I'd have enjoyed it more, but the through-line of the ways that the narrator, Roberta, found to squash and deny herself were oppressive. To pull out one of the book's main themes: like seasoning a dish, trauma and anxiety in a novel can be really effective when used judiciously. I found the flavor here overpowering.… (mehr)