Book Review | The Thick and the Lean

In the community of Seagate, abstaining from food brings you closer to god and eating for pleasure is forbidden. However, when Beatrice discovers an old cookbook, her world is turned upside down.

By the same author as The Seep, The Thick and the Lean by Chana Porter brings a dystopian tale about desire.

I absolutely loved Porter's first novella and wanted to love this book as well, but unfortunately I found that The Thick and the Lean bites off more than it can chew. It's overly ambitious, cramming in a kitchen sink of social themes that it isn't able to thoroughly follow through on, resulting ultimately in a half-baked novel.

I also wish the setting itself had been explored and fleshed out more--especially since this book takes place on another planet. For instance, toward the beginning, it's mentioned in passing that the moons are causing high tides and a shrinking land mass, and yet, the effects of gravity and climate on the population aren't actively addressed in the narrative, which feels like such a missed opportunity to me.

Overall, I feel like the premise was interesting and had potential, but the story could have benefited from further developmental editing.

Thank you, Gallery Books and NetGalley, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book Details:

Publication Date : April 18, 2023

Publisher : Gallery Books

ISBN: 1668000199

Pages : 384

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