The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls
"If you enjoyed An American Marriage by Tayari Jones, read The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls...an absorbing commentary on love, family and forgiveness."--The Washington Post "A fast-paced, intriguing story...the novel's real achievement is its uncommon perceptiveness on the origins and variations of addiction."--The New York Times Book Review
One of the most anticipated reads of 2019 from Vogue, Vanity Fair, Washington Post, Buzzfeed, Essence, Bustle, HelloGiggles and Cosmo! "The Mothers meets An American Marriage" (HelloGiggles) in this dazzling debut novel about mothers and daughters, identity and family, and how the relationships that sustain you can also be the ones that consume you. The Butler family has had their share of trials--as sisters Althea, Viola, and Lillian can attest--but nothing prepared them for the literal trial that will upend their lives. Althea, the eldest sister and substitute matriarch, is a force to be reckoned with and her younger sisters have alternately appreciated and chafed at her strong will. They are as stunned as the rest of the small community when she and her husband, Proctor, are arrested, and in a heartbeat the family goes from one of the most respected in town to utter disgrace. The worst part is, not even her sisters are sure exactly what happened. As Althea awaits her fate, Lillian and Viola must come together in the house they grew up in to care for their sister's teenage daughters. What unfolds is a stunning portrait of the heart and core of an American family in a story that is as page-turning as it is important.
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Community Reviews
I think I must have missed something with this book. The Butler family has had their share of trials. Three sisters and a brother must confront their past when the eldest sister, Althea and her husband Proctor, are arrested and awaiting trial. I don't think the book is about what they did so much (I'm still not exactly sure :/ ) but more about the family dynamics that unfold as each sibling has to face things from their past that has definitely affected them as adults. I did like the alternating POV's from each sister. I liked that the characters were 3 strong woman.
Often, when I get to the end of a book, I'm left wanting to know what happens to the characters after the last page. Much less frequently, do I feel the need to know about what happened before the first page. But that was how I felt with this book. What happened to get this family into this predicament. Some of it was ancient history, some more recent, some became very clear, but a lot stayed very hazy in my mind. I get that the details of the past may not have been the point, but I think a little more history would have helped me to understand the characters actions and reactions and why certain things have meaning. It is clear that Gray's characters are all very much alive in her mind, but I had trouble getting them to come alive for me.