Feast While You Can

In a departure from their sapphic women’s fiction debut, The View Was Exhausting, Clements and Datta offer a queer, small-town horror featuring exceptional narration by Jaclyn Kelso. Set in the conservative Italian mountain village of Cadenze, the story follows Angelina Sicco, who has been secretly pining for Jagvi, her brother Patrick’s glamorous ex-girlfriend. When Jagvi unexpectedly turns up in town, she awakens an ancient soul-devouring demon who dwells in the caves surrounding their home. The crisis sparks an electric relationship between Angelina and Jagvi, for the demonic creature is intent on possessing Angelina, and only Jagvi’s touch can keep her safe. Narrator Kelso skillfully evokes the story’s gothic atmosphere and the small-town dynamics, voicing a host of characters with distinct accents and inflections. Kelso viscerally communicates the book’s body horror, offering a deeply creepy demon’s voice and terrifying sound effects during moments of violent demonic possession.