She's Always Hungry

August 19, 2024
This scattered collection from Clark (Penance) spans genres and styles with varying degrees of success. The narrator of the wry “Build a Body Like Mine” pitches a weight-loss method involving the use of tapeworms. Other strong entries include “The Problem Solver,” in which a woman named Julia tells her roommate Oscar that she’s been raped by a mutual acquaintance. Oscar confronts the rapist and beats him up, which doesn’t help Julia feel better and only sows confusion among their friends. In “Nightstalkers,” an aimless teen longs to drop out of high school and start a band with his friend, who he has a crush on. The highlight of the collection, “Extinction Event,” follows a botanist who’s sensitive to the pain of plants, which makes her agonize when she’s tasked with cultivating a plant that can solve the climate crisis only to see it stricken by a mysterious disease. When Clark hits on a fresh idea, her stories transport. Unfortunately, too many of these entries feel lifeless, including the title story, a muddled folktale set in an oppressive matriarchal society, where a man falls under the spell of a shape-shifting sea creature who encourages him to lure other men to her. Readers will find this a mixed bag.