Hungered

by Amanda Rizkalla

For readers of Sandra Cisneros’ The House on Mango Street and Justin Torres’ We the Animals, this striking debut brings to life an unforgettable young narrator and the complicated, loving, cruel, and generous figures that make up her universe.

Sofia’s mother promises that she’ll have her own bedroom to decorate soon. Soon, too, she’ll be able to see her friends, go back to school, and eat the colorful, tempting cakes in the grocery store’s display case. For now, though, twelve-year-old Sofia lives with her mother and brother, Rafa, in their car. For now, Sofia’s days are a blur of freeways and strip malls across the West Coast as her mother searches for a safe place to park for the night. For now, her mother contemplates impossible choices, while Sofia catches glimpses of kindness and cruelty from strangers, and tries to carve out a space and an identity for herself while grappling with her family’s disintegration.

This haunting and lyrical novel captures the fault lines of an existence marked by economic insecurity, exploring what it means to come of age during a moment of displacement. Beautifully rendered and emotionally charged, Hungered is an indelible ode to survival, memory, and the search for home in its many forms.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Literary Fiction, Coming Of Age, Audiobook, Family Drama, Family

336 pages, Hardcover

First published May 19, 2026

About the author

Amanda Rizkalla is a recent Steinbeck Fellow and Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing Fellow. She has been a writer-in-residence at Ragdale, Hedgebrook, Djerassi, Mountain Words, the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts, Monson Arts, and Blue Mountain Center. After graduating from Stanford University, she received her MFA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she was a Kemper Knapp Fellow. Her work has received a grant from the Barbara Deming Memorial Fund and nominations for the Pushcart Prize. Hungered is her debut novel.

Reviews

[Laura Donovan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A stunning, devastating, heartbreaking novel that tackles housing insecurity, racism, abuse, class discrepancies, cruelty towards immigrants, and systems designed to work against mothers in this country. This is such a well-written, sad story that is unfortunately relatable to a lot of people. This is the kind of book that should prompt everyone to be more compassionate and understanding.

[Lauren W · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 A heavy and moving debut. This story follows a mother and her two children as they leave a stable life behind for incredibly challenging circumstances. The writing is wonderfully descriptive; you can truly feel the ‘hunger’ the family experiences as they navigate displacement, homelessness, and the harsh realities of racism as a mixed family.

The narrator was great and added to the overall experience, making it the kind of story that stays with you. It’s a beautiful example of making the most of what you have amidst having nothing. A great read for anyone who loves character-driven stories that dig deep into complex emotions.

[Yaya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Standing ovation.

There is something truly special about stories told through the eyes of a child. The narration carries a kind of honesty that adults often lose. Children observe the world without fully understanding its cruelty, which makes their perspective both innocent and devastating. More than once while reading, I found myself stopping and thinking, Oh. The kind of realization that quietly settles in once you understand what the child narrator does not.

Hungered follows Sofia and her family: Nina, her mother; Rafa, her younger brother; and Baba, her father. When Nina leaves an abusive relationship with little more than a car and her children, the story becomes a journey through survival, instability, and resilience.

Through Sofia’s perspective, the book explores silent struggles that feel painfully real. Hunger, unstable housing, motherhood, lack of resources, identity, and emotional survival all weave naturally into the story without ever feeling forced. Nina being Mexican and Baba Egyptian adds another meaningful layer, especially as Sofia navigates a new school and begins to understand where she fits within the world around her.

What makes this book stand out is how deeply human it feels. The emotional weight never relies on dramatics. Instead, it builds through small moments, observations, and the quiet realities of what families endure behind closed doors.

I just finished this book, and I already miss Sofia.

This is the kind of story that stays with you long after the final page. Highly recommend without hesitation.

[Laura N · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gripping, powerfully raw read!! HUNGERED will be staying with me for quite some time, and I urge everyone to read it. This book shines light on the fastest growing segment of the unhoused population in the United States - families. The book is told from 12-year-old Sofia’s point of view as she grapples with the disparity between the seemingly secure life she once had to the uncertain life she is now living with her mom and brother out of their car.

The characters in the story are well portrayed and complex. The book masterfully handles and fleshes out the intense range of differing emotions felt by each character as the story develops. My heart went out to Sofia and her mom throughout book. Their inner strength is something to behold. The book has a heavy subject matter, but the story is not overwhelming. I found myself wanting to continue to read to see how Sofia’s days and life unfolded. The story went by all too quickly; I’d LOVE to read more about Sofia and her family.

This would be a great discussion book for a book club! Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for offering me an ARC of HUNGERED.

[Ellen Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Told from Sofia’s point of view as her and her mother and brother leave her father and experience homelessness and scraping to get by, this was a raw play by play that touched my soul. Complete with the experience of being a girl in the world, friends, family, and more watching how Sofia and her family endure their situation was absolutely fascinating. The characters are all so well developed and it feels like I got to know them in real life. This is a must read book for everyone. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Monica Bowers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC.

I really enjoyed the audiobook narrated by Ana Isabel Dow. Her performance captured Sofia’s confusion and emotions well. That said, I do think some of the pauses and chapter transitions would translate even better in a physical copy.

This was a heartbreaking story told through the perspective of 12 year old Sofia. Watching her family unravel after her father impregnates a 21 year old woman was devastating, especially because Sofia is still trying to process everything with the limited understanding of a child. The story follows Sofia, her brother Rafa, and their mother as they leave and end up living in their car. Through Sofia we see her mother’s devastation and depression regarding her husband’s betrayal.

The story is more than just about Sofia’s broken family. We have her experience with being a minority at her new school, as well as her dealing with mean-spirited peers. One of the most interesting aspects was how the book explored Sofia’s Egyptian-Mexican upbringing. Her mother’s Mexican culture and her father’s Egyptian background created such an interesting cultural dynamic.

4.5 stars (rounding up to 5)

[Renée | apuzzledbooklover · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25/5 stars

Twelve-year-old Sofia, her mother and little brother leave a life of physical comfort to escape some difficult circumstances of living with their Baba (father). They face the tough realities of housing insecurity and not having enough to eat.

This story packs such a powerful punch. It addresses the utter despair of not having a place to call home, of domestic abuse and class/race inequity. It is told from the viewpoint of a child, which I felt was really impactful for me. It broke my heart to think of the people who experience this all the time. 💔

The audio is very well done. I would absolutely recommend this book when you are in the right headspace. I would have preferred a more definitive ending is my only real complaint. Hungered is a very apt title. It would be a great book for a book club discussion.

CA | Contains some strong profanity, not frequent. Infidelity is referenced, and includes one vague description.

[cursedb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was definitely a heartbreaking read. I had goosebumps throughout and found myself crying multiple times while reading it.The book portrays a wide range of difficult realities within certain family structures poverty, infidelity, societal neglect, the devaluation of women, and bullying. It feels like a layered reflection of how these issues intersect and affect people’s lives, rather than focusing on a single theme.What struck me the most was how realistic it all felt, especially towards the ending. It made me reflect deeply on these issues, and it was truly devastating to see how the story unfolded.The main character and narrator, Sophia, a 12 year old girl, felt incredibly innocent and vulnerable, which made everything even more emotionally intense and painful to read.I honestly don’t know what else to say my heart really broke while reading this book.

[Corvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is incredible. A searing and heartbreaking portrait of a family struggling with poverty, homelessness, racism, and domestic violence. The narrator, a young teen girl is both wise beyond her years and strangely innocent because of how her religious family have sheltered her. I raced through it wanting to know what would happen next, but I look forward to rereading it more slowly to take it all in. Definitely a book I’m considering teaching as well.

[Shirley · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars rounded up to 5

Hungered by Amanda Rizkalla is going to stay with me for a long time. Simple in its execution yet profoundly moving, deeply human, and utterly devastating. I wanted to reach into the pages and hug Sofia, Rafa, and Nina. What a tender, heartbreaking story. ❤️

[Phyllis · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful debut novel.

Sofia is 12 years old, and she, her younger brother Rafa, and their mom Nina are living in their car. It is surely only temporary, but that does not lessen the hunger pains, the shame, the embarrassment, the missed school days, the confusion, the shying away from pity, the typical struggles of adolescence, and the longing for a return to what had always felt so normal before.

*** I received my copy of this book for free as an advance reader's edition from the publisher through Library Thing (but I promise that did not influence my thoughts on this book). Scheduled for release on May 19, 2026.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heart wrenching reality of a homeless girl, Sophia, that endures living in a car with her Mom and younger brother. Suffering with too much time to think of both the good and bad times. This was a glimpse into their never ending struggle to live a normal life surrounded by cruel people.
This is told from the eyes of a Mexican Egyptian preteen that used terms such as baba, abuelo and abuela, so for me, I had to stop several times to figure out who she was referring to. The characters were well written, easy to visualize and credible. It almost went by too quickly, I would have liked to have seen a longer timeline in hopes that there would be some steps forward.
I would recommend this book.

Thank you Amanda Rizkalla and Henry Holt & Company for providing this book for review consideration.

[Tamara Browning · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Henry Holt and Co for this ARC. Hungered is out now!

*

Sometimes a book grips you because it takes you out of reality, but sometimes you pick up one that shows the truth in such a way you can’t stop turning the page.

I think it’s the POV that triggered me—I’ve experienced some of the things Sofia lives through. But being a mixed race child (half Mexican, half Egyptian) in a country that looks down on all shades of brown is truly a heartbreaking perspective. Not only is Sofia and her brother, Rafa, children, but they consider themselves like other children they know. They have a roof over their head and a mother and father, but you physically move through the world with Sofia, see how it treats her different, treats her entire family different. You see the hunger she has for a sense of normalcy, and you live with her as she gets proven time and time again that the world doesn’t care if you’re starving.

Hunger is not just the title, but the theme, the purpose of this debut. We see how Sofia and her family live in contrast to how everyone else moves through the world with less attention, less intention, less need for survival. There’s evidence of people throwing wealth around, wasting food, blatantly questioning her for how she looks—how they outright demand to know “what” she is.

All throughout the book I wanted to scream, but this just tells the truth. This is our reality, and kids you see every day live similar lives. But hunger is selfish, and turning a blind eye is easier than offering a hand—and that’s exactly what Rizkalla shows us here.

This is as devastating as it is honest, and it’s told through a child’s eye—that almost unflinching, desperately curious, and often angry perspective, making it the best POV this story could have been told by.

Some may not like how it ends, and some may not be able to get through what they would claim is hyperbole for the sake of fiction—but this is raw and honest and important. This is a stunning debut. All the stars, Rizkalla. Every one of them.

[Angie Miale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some books tell a story. Others quietly break your heart.

Hungered by Amanda Rizkalla is one of those literary fiction debuts that feels less concerned with plot and more interested in immersing the reader in a state of survival. The novel follows a young girl and her brother as they drift through poverty and instability with their mother, beginning with a moment where they are “driving away,” not running away, as their mother insists, while parked outside a motel. From there, the story unfolds in fragments, observations, and emotional impressions rather than major plot twists.

This is not an easy read emotionally. At times it feels unbearably dark, but that darkness serves a purpose. Rizkalla captures the confusion and vulnerability of childhood with remarkable precision, and the writing itself is what impressed me most. Every sentence feels carefully considered and deeply polished in a way that reminded me of literary fiction that has been revised with immense care over many years. You can really feel the craftsmanship behind it.

More than anything, this book builds empathy. It forces you to sit with discomfort and see the world through the eyes of children trying to make sense of instability they cannot control. If you enjoy literary fiction driven by atmosphere, characterization, and emotional depth rather than fast-moving plot, this debut may really resonate with you.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

[Kuu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ALC.

I might not have been in the headspace to fully appreciate this book when I listened to it, because I was bored at several points in it, but I was also stuck at an airport for hours with absolutely nothing else to do, so that'll do it. When listening, this book honestly felt a bit underwhelming for much of it, but when I then thought about it after listening, I fully noticed and was able to appreciate the nuances of it all, the many difficult topics it deals with and what the novel was trying to do. I think part of why it felt boring and underwhelming at times might be because this novel does not try to overly dramatise the experiences of its main characters, and instead shows the mundaneness of poverty, of racism, of everything the characters have to deal with. It shows the everyday of precarity. While reading, especially in the situation I was in where I was already in a bit of a bad mood anyway, I wasn't fully able to appreciate the depth of this novel, but thinking about it afterwards, I am seeing a lot of themes and topics that are very important and that were dealt with really well in this novel.

It was a 3 star listening experience (not because of the narrator! The narrator was great), but I'm giving it 4 stars because I can really appreciate what the novel did, even though I wasn't able to appreciate it as much in the moment.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Hungered" is told from the perspective of Sofia, a young girl navigating the difficulties of poverty and homelessness with her younger brother Rafa and mother Nina. When Nina makes the difficult decision to leave her abusive husband to protect her children, the three are relegated to living out of her car, trying to survive day-to-day while unsure where their next meal, shower, or sleep will be.

For Sofia, it is a heart wrenching story told through the lens of childlike neutrality and desires. She watches as her mother tries to escape her Baba and is forced to ask for help from her own father, who she has a fragmented relationship with, and attempt to find employment to support them all. In the midst of the chaos, Nina tries her best to ensure that her children are able to attend school, and Sofia is also forced to navigate the difficulties of classmates and friendships, all while knowing how different her own life is and what others take for granted are things she lacks. She is also forced into a guardian role for her younger brother as well, and must also accept the different treatment both of them are given simply due to birth order and gender. For her, the hunger is both physical and emotional - and it is the underlying theme present throughout the course of the novel.

For a debut novel, "Hungered" is an impressive work and I can only hope Rizkalla will continue writing. It is not an immediately evocative nor emotional novel, but it's for these reasons that it is so impactful, tackling difficult themes of social and financial insecurity, racism, domestic abuse, and the social injustices that are omnipresent for many, especially for women.

[Amy (amyrose.reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you so much to the Macmillan Early Listeners Program for this ALC!

Hungered is a book that genuinely made me feel a pit in my stomach the entire reading experience. It is simultaneously heartbreaking and hopeful.

This book follows Sofia, a 12 year old girl currently living out of a car with her mom and younger brother. In snippets, you begin to understand why they’ve needed to make this choice. The lyrical writing leaves you constantly wanting more details, but forces you to see precisely how the world looks through the eyes of a pre-teen. There are times where adult readers will put pieces together and be completely devastated as Sofia simply continues on.

There were many points where I had to step away from this audiobook or felt reluctant to pick it up because it is so emotional. That is a testament to this debut. It is truly writing that makes the reader feel something.

The audiobook was well narrated and flowed very well. Even though the story is written in verse, the audiobook still spans a typical novel length (~7 hours).

Overall, I would recommend this book to readers interested in stories of perseverance, survival, and what it means to be at home.

[Heather | Heather's Book Shelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

This uniquely written book is raw, vulnerable, and quite frankly - sad. Told from the perspective of 12 year old Sofia living with her mom and younger brother in a car, we slowly peel back the layers that led the three of them to where they are, and how the system is set up fail those who need it most (for example, to qualify for assistance they have to have an address, but they can't afford a home because they need financial assistance).
As Sofia's mom is faced impossible choices, she's forced into the realities of racism, housing insecurity, economic hardship and immigration during a time in her life when she should be worrying about frivolous teenage girl things.
This book reads fast but you'll want to take it slow. In between the beautiful prose there are sad realities that are worth sitting with and absorbing. A truly impressionable book.

Thank you Henry Holt for my advanced copy of this book!

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75⭐️

My vulnerable heart was not prepared for the damage this powerful debut would do. I literally sat and sobbed at the conclusion of this book. While I fully realize this is a fictional account, I’m also all too aware that this is reality for far too many children and families in our country. Proceed with caution.

The story is told from Sofia’s perspective and her twelve-year-old voice is profoundly moving. Sofia longs for things most of us take for granted: a home, a bed, a regular school life, food, safety, security. Unfortunately, all Sofia knows is upheaval, hunger, and transience. Living out of a car with her mother and brother, Sofia knows only uncertainty, shame, and disappointment.

Throughout the narrative Sofia and her family discover that other humans can run the gamut from kind to abusive with some preying on the most vulnerable. Coming of age is difficult enough without doing it against the backdrop of poverty, hunger, and homelessness.

This was a difficult read due to the bleak and brutal honesty the author employs to tell Sofia’s story. The ending left my heart in tatters.

Thank you to NetGalley, Henry Holt Books, and Macmillan Audio for the gifted advance copies. All opinions are my own.

[The Reading Raccoon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hungered is a debut novel about a California tween whose life quickly falls to pieces when her mother leaves her father. With beautiful prose and detail, we follow Sofia, her brother Rafael, and their mother as they sleep in their car, live off granola bars, and try to hold on to their pride while their father creates a new family. This is a gritty and realistic look at how quickly a family can slide into poverty and the often insensitive people they encounter while they are there.

Narration notes: Hungered was read by Ana Isabel Dow, who does a great job with the youthful voice of Sofia.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Disclosure: An advanced audio copy of Hungered was provided by Macmillan Audio for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Susan Dunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hungered by Amanda Rizkalla is a haunting and emotionally layered novel that blends horror, psychological tension, and raw human vulnerability into a compelling story. Rizkalla creates an atmosphere that feels unsettling from the very beginning, drawing readers into a world shaped by obsession, survival, and emotional hunger in more ways than one. The writing is vivid and immersive, balancing disturbing imagery with deeply personal character development.

One of the book’s greatest strengths is how it explores the darker sides of desire and identity while still keeping the characters relatable and sympathetic. The emotional intensity makes the story feel more meaningful than a standard horror novel, and the pacing steadily builds suspense without losing focus on the human elements at the center of the story. Rizkalla’s prose is sharp and evocative, making even quiet moments feel heavy with tension.

While some scenes may feel intense for readers sensitive to darker themes, the novel succeeds because it uses horror to explore deeper emotional struggles rather than relying solely on shock value. Overall, Hungered is a gripping and memorable read that will appeal to fans of psychological horror and character-driven suspense.

[Rachelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hungered (gifted from @henryholtbooks ) completely broke my heart.

It’s a quietly devastating book about a 12 year old girl who lives in a car with her mom and little brother.

Child narrators are always hard to write, to capture the innocence while still appealing to adult readers. Rizkalla writes Sofia perfectly. The chapters are short and bounce from Sofia’s crush on a classmate to days she has only one granola bar to eat, as she tries to make sense of her new life.

And while there are so many scenes that were hard to read, sometimes it was the small ones that broke me (like the bakery).

There are moments of hope, too. Simple joys from the warmth of the sun to the smell of new soap.

We only know what Sofia sees, so there are lots of times you need to read between the lines as we discover why her mom left her dad, why she won’t stay with her abuelo. At times, I wanted to know more. The end is a little more ambiguous than I’d like.

But it’s still a novel I’d definitely recommend. The kind that gives you new empathy and grows your heart. 4.5 stars

[Jodell · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you're only a young child and you live in a car and you got nothing to eat,
you don't go to school; and for something to do you write in your diary and think life is cruel.
Your mother has no clue of what she will do. How are you supposed to feel and when you wonder when it will all end.

When you sit in the car all day with your little brother and pray at lunchtime you mom
will bring you scraps from the employee lounge, and a tear runs down your cheek as you eat
that humble pie. You look up to the sky and ask "why?"

You wonder if anything will ever change and when it dose how long it will last until the next crisis comes if your mother will break or how much she can take because you always worry first about her

So, you make a wish as your anxiety grows by plucking your eyebrows out one by one and put them in the palm of your hand. Make a wish and you blow them into the wind and pray your mom and dad get back together again or how much she will have to endure for you to be secure
jodell2026

This book is along the lines of "Free Lunch" by Rex Ogle.

[Courtney Autumn]

Rtc

[Nicolette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple, complex, devastating.

[Morgan Porzsolt-Graves · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Completely devoured this novel in less than a day after telling myself “just one more chapter”. A haunting reminder of how precarious life situations can be and how few options some people have.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

Hungered follows Sofia, a pre-teen longing for a normal life, while instead dealing with ongoing housing insecurity and frequent hunger. Beautifully written, empathetic, and quietly devastating, this story will stay with me.

Ana Isabel Dow does an excellent job giving voice to Sofia’s story for the audiobook narration.

Thanks to Amanda Rizkalla, Henry Holt & Co, and Macmillan Audio for the gifted ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

[Danielle Walker Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh this is a truly wonderful book, one that I believe everyone should read. It’s always more to the heart for me when it’s being told through the eyes of child. I also feel like this book was written in a time when the world needs it the most.

[Diana_bibliophile · Rating 5 out of 5]

HUNGERED is a coming-of-age novel that follows 12-year-old Sofia, her younger brother Rafa, and their mother. After their mother leaves their abusive father, they end up having to live in their car. The story takes you through their struggles that come with being unhoused, having food insecurity and the uncertainty of their future.

The story is told through Sofia’s perspective capturing how a child facing poverty and displacement affects them, leaving lasting effects of trauma and insecurity.

HUNGERED truly kept me in a chokehold the entire book for many different reasons. For one, I could relate to growing up with food insecurity. Secondly, I was MAD just thinking about the government currently spending money on ridiculous things. While also claiming not to have money to feed every school-age child. So yes, this book truly caused me to have a lot of feelings. It is a book that everyone should read.

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted book!

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amanda Rizkalla’s debut literary fiction: A heartbreaking look at homelessness through the lens of a 6th grader, her mom, and her 6-year old brother. We follow the family as they bounce from sleeping in a car, to short-term housing, to sleeping in a car, to family’s house, to a shelter, back to the car. It was a fast read, with each chapter being no more than 4 pages and some as short as one line. The author packs a punch with each sentence, and every detailed description paints a picture of poverty. One of the most memorable scenes was Thanksgiving and the family of three is splitting a box of discounted jellybeans and imagining each jellybean is a different part of the traditional thanksgiving meal.

Thank you to Henry Holt & Company for the ARC