Publisher – Influx Press

Published – Out Now

Price - £7.99 paperback £5.99 Kindle eBook

In this dark and toothsome collection, Anna Vaught enters a strange world of apocryphal feasts and disturbing banquets. Famished explores the perils of selfish sensuality and trifle while child rearing, phantom sweetshop owners, the revolting use of sherbet in occult rituals, homicide by seaside rock, and the perversion of Thai Tapas. Once, that is, you've been bled dry from fluted cups by pretty incorporeals and learned about consuming pride in the hungriest of stately homes.Famished: seventeen stories to whet your appetite and ruin your dinner.

Foooood glorious food. AS well as needed for living food is a key part of our culture. It can reflect moods, status, horror, joy, and we all have memories good and bad of certain dishes. Huge variety and can be a source of inspiration. Anna Vaught caught my eye this year with the brilliant Saving Lucia and has now released a great collection of short tales all based around the idea of food. A short but truly delicious section await the hungry reader. Amongst those I enjoyed are: -

Cave venus et stellas – a weird street where a man is hired to build an unusual piece of furniture for an eerie kitchen. A strong opener that will remind you that all the stores you read will send you on very unexpected paths.

Feasting; Fasting – a French house with mysteries receives an unhappy married couple. The house knows what to do. Highly atmospheric and eerie without explaining itself.

What he choked on – a young boy starts to understand the concept of mortality just when he is about to try some new food for the first time. A horror tale about death and fear. Also contains sinister trifle.

Seaside rock and other homicides – lost love, rekindled love and sugary treats with strange words await you in this one. It feels sinister and yet can’t quite see what is causing it. My favourite in the collection (even if cruel to fudge)

A Tale of Tripe – Does our least favourite food represent more our memory of it? A young woman is haunted by the ghosts/memories of her mother and grandmother who tortured her with awful food especially tripe. A new cookbook brings in an imaginary friend and they try to find better recipes. Loved this one a lot and its idea of turning our fears inside out.

Nanny Lovett and Pop Todd – a short but smart retelling of an infamous pie-maker with a much better rationale for their potential crimes. Thoughtful

Henry and His Surfeit of Lampreys – Eels are not my idea of cuisine and after reading this story of a man who loved taking risks with this food choices I am definitely not going near them. A wonderful though mix of dark humour and body horror.

Shame – A story of love that breaks down and rebellion using the foods we are told not to eat but we know are sinful and pleasurable. Also has a love of Nutella. Loved this one a lot because of how the narrator relishes her freedom to do what she wants.

Sherbet – a strange magical tale of a man who creates a religion all because he has an unexpected reaction to sherbet. Funny and yet wonderful drawing of character and release of inner passions.

Sweetie – this tale brings nostalgia to anyone who remembers the joy of the small sweet shop but also its sinister owners. Really evocative.

Vaught is an author I am watching closely from now on. Huge variety and a delicious mix of styles and language well worth your time investigating. It may make you a bit peckish though…