The Glutton

In this rich and absorbing tale of depravity, pleasure and class, the author of the former Waterstones Fiction Book of the Month The Manningtree Witches serves up another glorious evocation of the past, as a hungry peasant embarks on a curious crusade in revolutionary France.

The 18th century is drawing to a close, and unrest grips France. Tarare has been born into a life of slender means, but when a sudden act of violence ignites in him a ferocious appetite, his extraordinary abilities to eat make him a marvel throughout the land. Travelling to Paris and beyond, through the heart of the Revolution, he journeys into a world of upheaval and depravity, in which the hunger of one peasant is matched only by the insatiable demands of the people of France.

A darkly exuberant novel about one man's insatiable hunger... - What to read this autumn: 2023’s biggest new books, The Guardian

I was only a couple of pages into A.K. Blakemore's The Glutton when I realised that I was, undoubtedly, reading the best book of the year... Blakemore is, undoubtedly, the star of her generation - Big Issue

Strangely wonderful... Blakemore mines the reader's capacity for empathy... An incredibly impressive follow-up to the acclaimed The Manningtree Witches. The Glutton is a delicious novel on hunger and survival that is as original as it is refreshing - Irish Times