The Thick and the Lean is, in part, a veneration of food and cooking. Set in a world where eating is taboo, the core characters engage in a surreptitious love of the pleasures and sensations of eating well cooked food. It is also a study in deceit and power.
The plot tracks the progress of the two main characters as they navigate their love of food through a society where there is an extreme disparity between the richest and the poorest, and where there is a burgeoning climate crisis. The parallels with current events is clear, but not at all heavy-handed. For me, the story ended up with too many loose ends, but this is a personal preference and does not detract from the power of the story.
The two main characters have depth and complexity, and felt very real. I found myself drawn to them, and wanting good outcomes - albeit in very different ways for each. The supporting cast was also diverse, although with few being especially memorable.
There are themes that some people may find difficult: disordered eating and relationship with food; a free and relaxed attitude to sex, both in public and outside marriage; and the deceitful conduct of one of the main characters. To me, however, these were all justified, and contribute to the colour and depth of the dystopian world in which the author so successfully explores ideas of exclusion, class disparity, and social power.
Thank you #NetGalley and Titan Books for the free review copy of #TheThickandtheLean in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
My rating: ★★★★☆
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