The Taste of a Man by Slavenka Drakulić

The Taste of a Man by Slavenka Drakulić
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Once I started this book, I couldn't put it down. It is about a relationship between Tereza, a Polish graduate student, and José, a Brazilian anthropolgist, who meet in the New York Public Library. (Bonus points for library-based romance!) His research examines the belief of cannibalism as a sacrament, and the novel is written from her perspective, during a span of four days where she is deep-cleaning her apartment and reflecting on her relationship with José, which has come to a close.

The first 175 pages of the book are compelling - well-written, erotic, highly-charged with emotion, obsession, and desire. The author is obvious about what happens between Tereza and José throughout the novel, but doesn't really spell out the very graphic details until the end. If cannibals and flesh consumption bother you, this is not the book I'd recommend. The last 30-40 pages or so are very hard to read, even knowing what was coming. I guess it is kind of like some sexual fantasies - far better kept in the realm of the imagination than played out in the messy, stinky, reality that will eventually demand a good bleaching.

What follows is an examination of the characters that includes a spoiler.  I think it wouldn't be as disturbing if I felt like José was as much of a party to the cannibalism as Tereza thinks he is. I think his drinking is typical grief about a relationship he can't stay in, and she manages to interpret it as consent to eat him. These are two very different things. Also disturbing is frequent mention of sexual abuse she suffered as a child, which is not presented in a way that condemns it. She clearly never understood it to be abuse, and to me this colors her perspective of the need for flesh toward uncomfortable rather than sexy. [
I think it wouldn't be as disturbing if I felt like José was as much of a party to the cannibalism as Tereza thinks he is. I think his drinking is typical grief about a relationship he can't stay in, and she manages to interpret it as consent to eat him. These are two very different things. Also disturbing is frequent mention of sexual abuse she suffered as a child, which is not presented in a way that condemns it. She clearly never understood it to be abuse, and to me this colors her perspective of the need for flesh toward uncomfortable rather than sexy. (hide spoiler)]

Loved this little bit about words, unrelated to the story:
"It strikes me that in our everyday lives we use words like frozen food from the supermarket. We defrost them quickly in our mouths and they come out ready to serve. It is only different when I write, because then I pick, prepare and cook them myself. Some I use raw, others I sprinkle on the text like marjoram or pepper, like aromatic spices."