We never know the real name of our protagonist in this story, we know her only by a cruel and unshakeable childhood nickname - ‘Piglet’. Now a cookbook editor, her identity is still tied to her relationship with food. But she is getting married in 98 days and that will be the chance to reinvent herself in a way she’s been craving for years.
Yet the closer the day comes, the more things start to fall apart. 13 days prior, her fiancée reveals a terrible secret which threatens to thwart her plans on a carefully curated life. Determined to bury the secret, she begins to binge eat and becomes hyperfixated on perfecting her wedding menu. Staying out late to overindulge at fancy restaurants, eating enough food for a family of 5, it’s clear to those around her that something is wrong. She must decide whether to still go through with the wedding, whether to confide in her friends and whether this life will be as fulfilling as she once thought.
I have mixed feelings about this book, for one, I had to get a snack whilst eating because this book made me so hungry! It’s definitely an enrapturing exploration of desire, control and class and you will probably devour the 283 pages in quick succession but be warned - you will not be satisfied. We are never told what the secret is that is the catalyst for Piglet’s unravelling and whilst I understand that this was an intentional decision to make a point around satisfaction and greed, etc, I was still disappointed.
Lottie Hazel is a very clever and engrossing writer; her debut is certainly well-crafted but I’m too much of a greedy reader to say I enjoyed this!
Reviewed by Abi.
Piglet was published on 25/01/24 by Doubleday.
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