The Glutton tells the tale of Tarare, an ever hungry sideshow, a myth of 17th century France, a boy easily bidden and desperate for care. A wordsmith that evokes both revulsion and delight, Blakemore effortlessly builds a compelling image of revolutionary France, in all it's horror and all its glory, and demands that we bear witness to the realities of being a curiosity. Throughout, Blakemore plays with the ideas of beauty and horror, the lines that blur within Tarare between barbarism and humanity with a poeticism and tenderness of spirit that belies the ghoulish acts he engages in. The novel, like the man that inhabits it, begs to consume you.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for access to this ARC.

What a unique and fantastic book!!

A raw and visceral tale following a young man’s journey through revolutionary France. His insatiable appetite earns him the side show name The Great Tarare The Glutton of Lyon.
But he cannot eat enough to fill his never-ending appetite..
It's actually quite a sad story of a damaged boy who can't quite find his salvation..

*A big thank-you to A. K. Blakemaore, Granta Publications, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
My second novel by Ms Blakemore turned out to be as engaging as her debut. The plot, based on true events and including some historic figures set against the last twenty years of the 18th century in France, is intriguing and captivating. Ms Blakemore descibes the French Revolution focusing on its lowest stratum, the peasants and their discontent and again she proves to be the mistress of words. Just like in her previous novel, the words matter most and give the poetic feel to the prose. The novel may seem brutal at times and some descriptions are not easy to read but somehow the characters and the times would not feel real with other convention.

Where does the line stop between humanity and depravity – or are they two sides of the whole?

AK Blakemore’s story of Tarare, a peasant boy in Revolutionary France with an unsatiable hunger, is a powerful and extravagantly ambitious novel which looks deeply into the nature of what it is to be human.

I hesitate to reveal too much of Tarare’s story, as the journey of lifting the lid on the story of a man reviled as an abomination by all those he touches is yours to discover. Somewhat like Tolkein’s Gollum, he is a tragic individual whose complex unfolding garners sympathy – laced with disgust – on an almost cellular level. It’s this juxtaposition which aims, and succeeds, in presenting the reader with deeply uncomfortable truths about their own prejudices and preconceptions. It demands that we look deeply into the essence of those which our own nature urges us to look away from.

Tarare, as he travels through his short and unlovely life, is perceived as subhuman, undeserving of human pity, fundamentally lacking. Yet it is only through Tarare’s surprisingly tender ruminations on his experiences that we are given the opportunity to see the world as it really is, in imperfect horror and astonishing beauty.
Blakemore’s lyrical genius elevates a sometimes challenging and bruising story into a pure delight for the senses; the sheer beauty of the narrative, delivered with a deceptive lightness of touch, is nothing short of extraordinary.

The Glutton is a deeply moving masterpiece which deserves to become a future classic. It is simply dazzling and delicious. You cannot fail to come away from this novel unchanged by the experience – and like me, with Tarare now embedded in your heart.

Dash straight to your bookseller to pre-order The Glutton today - it deserves a space on every shelf, and you will dive back into it, time and again.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy!

An absolute banquet of a book!
A raw and witty tale following a young man’s journey through revolutionary France. His insatiable appetite earns him the side show name The Great Tarare, but no matter how much he consumes he is never at peace.
This is a devastating melody of a boy damaged and lost as the world burns around him.

Thanks Netgalley and Granta publishers for the arc.

A K Blackmore, author of The manningtree witches did it again with The Glutton - simply brilliant.

A. K. Blakemore arrived on the literary scene with the rather wonderful The Manningtree Witches, which took for its story that of Matthew Hopkins, a true historical figure, around whom a wonderful novel was woven. This new novel, The Glutton, shares much D.N.A. with that debut - here it is the true story of Tarare, a French man with a rather unusual ability - he can eat literally anything, and at the risk of turning your stomach, he does. A meal for 15, live animals, offal, eels eaten whole, alive. It is a sickening spectacle in many ways, and the mere beginning of an incredible tale.

Blakemore's prose sings throughout thus - it is baroque, it is full of life, it fills Tarare and his adventures in revolutionary France so stunningly that I had to pause to re-read a perfect sentence, on every page, and yet was so urgently pulled on by the narrative that I didn't want to stop. I was gluttonous too - finishing this masterpiece in one sitting - with the final third of the novel bringing out all my emotions.

This is a novel that will rest in my mind for many days - and I know I will read it again. Superb stuff.

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for the ARC.