Read Online We Eat Our Own A Novel Kea Wilson Books

Product details Paperback 320 pages Publisher Scribner; Reprint edition (April 2, 2019) Language English ISBN-10 1501128329

We Eat Our Own A Novel Kea Wilson Books Reviews

• I was thoroughly impressed with this novel.  It was hard for me to believe that it was the author's first.  I relished the way it was written, in second person and lacking quotation marks.  The language was straightforward and unadorned.  Which is ironic, because the main theme throughout this book is acting.  There are different scenarios that we follow.  First, we encounter an erratic and unconventional director shooting a horror film in the Colombian jungle.  We are introduced to the various cast and crew members, seeing the events from each of their perspectives.  Virtually alongside this story there is another that follows a small group of young Colombians who have joined the M-19 guerilla movement.  Identity is questioned and examined throughout the book.  There is a difference between an alias and a pseudonym.  An alias is who you become, while a pseudonym is a name that you will give up under pressure.  The young rebels go through traumatic experiences to learn who they really are.  The actors go through a similar process.  As they find out, "there are many monsters secreted deep inside, and acting is simply about giving them the aperture to slip through and show themselves."  You can lose yourself in who you become, because "you know that acting is a kind of cannibalism, and you indulge in it you will be eaten, and you will eat your own."  This is a many layered, disquieting and completely engaging work of literature.  Highest recommendations. 
• I expected more from this novel. Wilson's characterization is strong and her premise is highly original, but the pacing lags in places and some plotlines seem unnecessary. I do not care about most of the characters (save one or two), and the buildup of tension leads to something of an anticlimax. It's less of a horror novel and more of a psychological examination of power and passion. The Cannibal Holocaust angle is fascinating; my hesitation is likely due to somewhat misleading marketing.
• The characters are vivid, the premise is meaty, the jungle location is made palpable. Wilson's writing is often straight up gorgeous and while the pace falters at times, the second half of the novel especially moves along at a good click. The only thing that kept this from five stars is that Wilson sets up some tantalizing possibilities and then doesn't deliver on them. (To be more specific would spoil some of the plot developments.) But that said, falling short on something this ambitious still makes for a book much more interesting than other books which fully succeed within much less adventurous parameters. I'll look forward to what Kea Wilson does next.
• The story could have been interesting. The way it is told makes sure that the reader will not care about any of it, and will check page number to find out how much longer they have to slog through it...
• While it has in interesting premis and setting the book never gets where it should and we really do not get to know our characters very well.
• Reminded me a little of Night Film in that it's about cult movies. In this case, the filming of one and how it affects the people involved.
• Great
• An unoriginal premises based on 70's exploitation films. There wasn't a part of the book that even stands out.