Catherine Dang

This is not a tale where the girl is running away from danger - instead, she is the danger. It's the summer before high school and Ronny Nguyen is too young for work and too old for cartoons. Instead, she spends her days falling asleep to trashy magazines on a plastic lawn chair in her small backyard.She's a stark contrast to her older brother Tommy, her immigrant parents' pride and joy. Ronny can't bear to think about what it will be like when Tommy, with whom she's always been close, goes to college and leaves her alone with Me and Ba in their quiet house. Their parents never speak of their childhoods or families in Vietnam, except in the context of food: thick spring rolls with slim and salty nem nuong; bright yellow rice noodles called mi quang, steaming bowls of pho tai with thin, delicate slices of blood-red beef floating on top.In the aftermath of the war, Me and Ba explained, meat became dangerous. Ronny and Tommy must never take their lives - or their food - for granted. Well, Ronny never had much of an appetite for meat, and life on the wrong side of the highway in a white suburb has never been easy.But then tragedy strikes, and everything Ronny thought she knew about herself or her life, changes in an instant. A few nights later at her first high school party, a boy does not take no for answer and suddenly Ronny is overtaken by a force, an urge, larger than herself. As Ronny comes into her own power, she discovers a new taste for life that is poised to save her, even as it threatens to destroy everything and everyone around her."Whether it took days, or months, or years, I would come for him. And I would savour the moment."

A Goodreads Most Anticipated Book for Summer!''Dang''s writing pulses with a simmering rage, and the novel''s bloodcurdling conclusion will leave readers with a lasting sense of satisfaction'' Monika Kim, author of The Eyes Are the Best PartA haunting coming-of-age tale following the daughter of Vietnamese immigrants, Ronny Nguyen, as she grapples with the weight of generational trauma while navigating the violent power of teenage girlhood, for fans of Jennifer''s Body and Little Fires Everywhere.It''s the summer before high school and Ronny Nguyen''s days are spent dozing off to trashy magazines. In contrast stands her brother Tommy, the pride of their immigrant parents and destined to be the first in the family to attend college. The thought of Tommy leaving for college and being left alone with her parents, Me and Ba, fills Ronny with dread. Their parents rarely speak of their past in Vietnam, except through the lens of food. Their meals are a tapestry of cultural memory: thick spring rolls with nem nuong, and steaming bowls of pho tai with slices of blood-red beef. In the aftermath of the war, Me and Ba taught Ronny and Tommy that meat was a dangerous luxury, a symbol of survival that should never be taken for granted. But when tragedy strikes, Ronny''s world is upended. Her sense of self and her understanding of her family are shattered. A few nights later at a party, a boy crosses the line, and Ronny is overtaken by a force larger than herself. This newfound power comes with an insatiable hunger for flesh, a craving that is both a saving grace and a potential destroyer.What Hunger is a visceral, emotional journey through the bursts and pitfalls of female rage. ''Dang''s darkly playful portrayal of cannibalism is vivid, funny, real - and a perfectly gruesome metaphor for female rage. It builds and boils, and the final twist had me cheering'' Ashley Winstead, USA Today-bestselling author of Midnight is the Darkest Hour

A haunting coming-of-age tale following the daughter of Vietnamese immigrants, Ronny Nguyen, as she grapples with the weight of generational trauma while navigating the violent power of teenage girlhood, for fans of Jennifer's Body and Little Fires Everywhere. It's the summer before high school and Ronny Nguyen's days are spent dozing off to trashy magazines. In contrast stands her brother Tommy, the pride of their immigrant parents and destined to be the first in the family to attend college. The thought of Tommy leaving for college and being left alone with her parents, Me and Ba, fills Ronny with dread. Their parents rarely speak of their past in Vietnam, except through the lens of food. Their meals are a tapestry of cultural memory: thick spring rolls with nem nuong, and steaming bowls of pho tai with slices of blood-red beef. In the aftermath of the war, Me and Ba taught Ronny and Tommy that meat was a dangerous luxury, a symbol of survival that should never be taken for granted. But when tragedy strikes, Ronny's world is upended. Her sense of self and her understanding of her family are shattered. A few nights later at a party, a boy crosses the line, and Ronny is overtaken by a force larger than herself. This newfound power comes with an insatiable hunger for flesh, a craving that is both a saving grace and a potential destroyer. What Hunger is a visceral, emotional journey through the bursts and pitfalls of female rage.