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The Starving Bride
England, the near future.
Dumped by her boyfriend, fired from her job and estranged from her parents, Hazel Whitlock signs up for a sideshow act in Blackpool. The seaside resort has revived all the cancelled old favourites and she will be the Starving Bride.
On display in the iconic Blackpool Tower, with a ravenous lion prowling the enclosure, Hazel must lie in silence while spectators view her and pass judgement on her body.
As the days tick down, thousands are captivated by Hazel's transformation. Some are inspired. Some are obsessed. And some are watching far more closely than they should be.
The attention becomes intoxicating.
Hazel's old friend Gilda becomes increasingly worried for her welfare. Councillor Frank Marsh, meanwhile, investigating the stability of the Tower, is alarmed at his findings, but his concerns are ignored.
As the spectacle spirals and the world outside grows increasingly unstable, Hazel must confront the how far is she willing to go to be seen?
Dumped by her boyfriend, fired from her job and estranged from her parents, Hazel Whitlock signs up for a sideshow act in Blackpool. The seaside resort has revived all the cancelled old favourites and she will be the Starving Bride.
On display in the iconic Blackpool Tower, with a ravenous lion prowling the enclosure, Hazel must lie in silence while spectators view her and pass judgement on her body.
As the days tick down, thousands are captivated by Hazel's transformation. Some are inspired. Some are obsessed. And some are watching far more closely than they should be.
The attention becomes intoxicating.
Hazel's old friend Gilda becomes increasingly worried for her welfare. Councillor Frank Marsh, meanwhile, investigating the stability of the Tower, is alarmed at his findings, but his concerns are ignored.
As the spectacle spirals and the world outside grows increasingly unstable, Hazel must confront the how far is she willing to go to be seen?
249 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication March 30, 2027
About the author
Catherine Chidgey
19 books778 followersCatherine Chidgey is a novelist and short story writer whose work has been published to international acclaim. In a Fishbone Church won Best First Book at the New Zealand Book Awards and at the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize in her region. In the UK it won the Betty Trask Award and was longlisted for the Orange Prize. Golden Deeds was Time Out’s book of the year, a Notable Book of the Year in The New York Times and a Best Book in the LA Times. She has won the Prize in Modern Letters, the Katherine Mansfield Award, the Katherine Mansfield Fellowship, the Janet Frame Fiction Prize, and the Acorn Foundation Fiction Prize for The Wish Child. Remote Sympathy was shortlisted for the Dublin Literary Award and the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction, and was longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction. The Axeman's Carnival won the Acorn at the New Zealand Book Awards - the country's biggest literary prize.
Raised in Wellington, New Zealand, Chidgey was educated at Victoria University and in Berlin, where she held a DAAD scholarship for post-graduate study in German literature. She lives in Cambridge and is an Associate Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Waikato.
Raised in Wellington, New Zealand, Chidgey was educated at Victoria University and in Berlin, where she held a DAAD scholarship for post-graduate study in German literature. She lives in Cambridge and is an Associate Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Waikato.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
A new book from Catherine Chidgey is always a treat and this one is no exception. Set in the not too distant future, Blackpool, England. Hazel is obsessed with her body image. She hates her chubby self but gorges on food hiding the evidence. Teased at school and worse a video of her went viral, now out in the adult world she has lost her job and her boyfriend. Her friend suggests she tries out for one of the sideshow jobs going at the pier. In order to boost tourism and foot traffic the council has brought back a lot of the old seaside attractions. Hazel ends up being hired to be The Starving Bride, all she has to do is lie in a glass coffin for 40 days, not eat and she will get £40,000. She can of course eat when the attraction is closed in her tiny quarters at the pier. There is a tiger in the mix too, he is let out during the day and can stroll around the coffin, adding extra excitement for the crowds who pay to see the Starving Bride. At first it is done with tricks, a bigger wedding dress that they fold in at the back so they can slowly let it out to look like Hazel is wasting away, clever make up to make her look wane, but as the first few days pass Hazel stops eating and becomes obsessed with how life will be, compared to how it was. She also reflects on her short life as she lays there in a dream like state with the eyes of the paying spectators who come back more than once to see her becoming smaller.
Frank is a councillor and he has become concerned about the Blackpool Tower that sits over the pier and all the attractions. No maintenance has been done in a long time and the high tides are eating away at the pylons which are more rust than steel in a lot of places. But the committee doesn’t want to listen, they don’t have the funds to repair anything.
It’s a fabulous book, most young girls have body image issues and the gorging on food is akin to starving. Hazel as the Starving Bride and her band of followers, called The Anabelles are literally starving themselves to death. Probably too close for comfort for some families.
#TheStarvingBride #NetGalley
Frank is a councillor and he has become concerned about the Blackpool Tower that sits over the pier and all the attractions. No maintenance has been done in a long time and the high tides are eating away at the pylons which are more rust than steel in a lot of places. But the committee doesn’t want to listen, they don’t have the funds to repair anything.
It’s a fabulous book, most young girls have body image issues and the gorging on food is akin to starving. Hazel as the Starving Bride and her band of followers, called The Anabelles are literally starving themselves to death. Probably too close for comfort for some families.
#TheStarvingBride #NetGalley
October 2, 2026
Thanks to Grand Central Publishing & NetGalley for the arc of this book!
I’m a huge fan of Catherine Chidgey’s previous book, Pet, and was so excited to get my hands on a copy of The Starving Bride.
The premise was so good—a sideshow act of a bride who willingly wastes away and the woman who agrees to perform in the sideshow slowly embodying the act itself? And there’s a lion hanging out just for fun. It was so cool to find out that this was inspired by a real sideshow performance from the 1930s.
So I was stoked heading into this book but walked away feeling kind of flat about the whole thing. The characters lacked depth, something I found surprising considering that the character development in Chidgey’s Pet was stellar. In The Starving Bride, the characters seemed to play second fiddle to the plot & they mostly seemed like they were just along for the ride.
Still absolutely worth a read, and if I hadn’t gone in expecting the quality of character development I found in Chidgey’s other work, I may have felt like it was a stronger book. But I’m afraid my expectations were set pretty high & and I ultimately wished for more.
I’m a huge fan of Catherine Chidgey’s previous book, Pet, and was so excited to get my hands on a copy of The Starving Bride.
The premise was so good—a sideshow act of a bride who willingly wastes away and the woman who agrees to perform in the sideshow slowly embodying the act itself? And there’s a lion hanging out just for fun. It was so cool to find out that this was inspired by a real sideshow performance from the 1930s.
So I was stoked heading into this book but walked away feeling kind of flat about the whole thing. The characters lacked depth, something I found surprising considering that the character development in Chidgey’s Pet was stellar. In The Starving Bride, the characters seemed to play second fiddle to the plot & they mostly seemed like they were just along for the ride.
Still absolutely worth a read, and if I hadn’t gone in expecting the quality of character development I found in Chidgey’s other work, I may have felt like it was a stronger book. But I’m afraid my expectations were set pretty high & and I ultimately wished for more.
September 1, 2026
well, that was something. i feel like there were a few concepts floating around in this book, with the strongest being hazel and her relationship with food (triggering at times, even!!) and her body image. the addition of frank & the annabelles wasn’t as appealing, honestly we could have done without. kinda wish chidgey went the magical realism/surrealist horror route and made the story a lot more weird & strange but with only a focus on hazel and her issues with her body and food. as always, her prose shines.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Set in a slightly future England, Ms Chidgey takes the reader on an uncomfortable journey along a tightrope between impending catastrophe and overwhelming attention.
Meet Hazel Whitlock. She has just been dumped by her boyfriend, has lost her job, is estranged from her parents and needs work and somewhere to live. With the help of her friend Gilda, she signs up for a sideshow act in Blackpool. She will be the Starving Bride: on display in the Blackpool Tower, in a glass case in an enclosure with a lion. If she can last 40 days, she will receive £40,000.
Meet Councillor Frank Marsh. He is concerned that the Blackpool Tower might collapse. Maintenance is urgently required, but most of the council choose to ignore a report recommending action.
Hazel’s past (which is gradually revealed) makes her particularly vulnerable. As she loses weight, the numbers of people queuing to see her transformation grow. Some are inspired; others are obsessed and many have a comment (which Hazel can hear).
As I kept reading, and as Hazel weakened, I wondered whether she would survive. And as the Blackpool Tower creaked and moaned around her, I wondered whether it would collapse.
When I finished reading, I thought about obsession with appearance, about the intrusive nature of surveillance, and the ease with which privacy can be invaded, and the contrast with ignoring the physical danger posed by a deteriorating structure. It struck me as both sad and absurd that the invasion of an individual’s privacy, once released via the internet, can become immortal while the record of an investigation into the physical danger posed by a poorly maintained building can somehow disappear.
Highly recommended. A challenging and thought provoking read.
Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Australia for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Meet Hazel Whitlock. She has just been dumped by her boyfriend, has lost her job, is estranged from her parents and needs work and somewhere to live. With the help of her friend Gilda, she signs up for a sideshow act in Blackpool. She will be the Starving Bride: on display in the Blackpool Tower, in a glass case in an enclosure with a lion. If she can last 40 days, she will receive £40,000.
Meet Councillor Frank Marsh. He is concerned that the Blackpool Tower might collapse. Maintenance is urgently required, but most of the council choose to ignore a report recommending action.
Hazel’s past (which is gradually revealed) makes her particularly vulnerable. As she loses weight, the numbers of people queuing to see her transformation grow. Some are inspired; others are obsessed and many have a comment (which Hazel can hear).
As I kept reading, and as Hazel weakened, I wondered whether she would survive. And as the Blackpool Tower creaked and moaned around her, I wondered whether it would collapse.
When I finished reading, I thought about obsession with appearance, about the intrusive nature of surveillance, and the ease with which privacy can be invaded, and the contrast with ignoring the physical danger posed by a deteriorating structure. It struck me as both sad and absurd that the invasion of an individual’s privacy, once released via the internet, can become immortal while the record of an investigation into the physical danger posed by a poorly maintained building can somehow disappear.
Highly recommended. A challenging and thought provoking read.
Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Australia for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I was thrilled to see that Catherine Chidgey had a new book coming out as I absolutely loved The Book of Guilt, and even more thrilled to be approved for an ARC of The Starving Bride!
The premise immediately intrigued me - Hazel has honestly been going through a rubbish time when she's offered an opportunity to earn some serious cash by performing as a sideshow act laying in a coffin and abstaining from food whilst she's ogled by the public for ten hours a day. And there's the little detail that she has to complete the full 40 days if she wants to see any of the cash, and did I mention that there's a LION in the enclosure with her? Sounds easy, right?!
The Starving Bride is often a very uncomfortable read, and I can understand that the content may be quite triggering for some readers. As someone who has struggled with food/disordered eating/body image for as long as I can remember, Hazel's experiences and thoughts around food and body image really resonated with me, and the overall attitudes of the supporting characters in the book are spot on.
There is a lot explored over the course of the book, and certainly a lot of food for thought. I'm in awe of how Catherine Chidgey's brain works. This was such a compelling read - she has an incredibly addictive writing style, and I binged this book in a day.
Thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Random House, and Catherine Chidgey for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The premise immediately intrigued me - Hazel has honestly been going through a rubbish time when she's offered an opportunity to earn some serious cash by performing as a sideshow act laying in a coffin and abstaining from food whilst she's ogled by the public for ten hours a day. And there's the little detail that she has to complete the full 40 days if she wants to see any of the cash, and did I mention that there's a LION in the enclosure with her? Sounds easy, right?!
The Starving Bride is often a very uncomfortable read, and I can understand that the content may be quite triggering for some readers. As someone who has struggled with food/disordered eating/body image for as long as I can remember, Hazel's experiences and thoughts around food and body image really resonated with me, and the overall attitudes of the supporting characters in the book are spot on.
There is a lot explored over the course of the book, and certainly a lot of food for thought. I'm in awe of how Catherine Chidgey's brain works. This was such a compelling read - she has an incredibly addictive writing style, and I binged this book in a day.
Thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Random House, and Catherine Chidgey for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
October 4, 2026
This book is so incredibly well written.
The story follows Hazel, the main character who becomes a sideshow act where her body is put on display in a glass coffin as she starves. Using the glass coffin as a metaphor for how society views women through their looks is so sharp and it explores many toxic things women are told throughout their lives that have just been normalized. At one point, there is a whole page full of catchy sayings "nothing tastes as good as skinny feels" which i’m sure almost every woman has heard at some point and that society just accepts it as normal. It is a beautifully told story about women's physical and metaphorical hunger.
Be aware if you are sensitive to reading about eating disorders. this book does not encourage it, but it also isn't a story about healing.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The story follows Hazel, the main character who becomes a sideshow act where her body is put on display in a glass coffin as she starves. Using the glass coffin as a metaphor for how society views women through their looks is so sharp and it explores many toxic things women are told throughout their lives that have just been normalized. At one point, there is a whole page full of catchy sayings "nothing tastes as good as skinny feels" which i’m sure almost every woman has heard at some point and that society just accepts it as normal. It is a beautifully told story about women's physical and metaphorical hunger.
Be aware if you are sensitive to reading about eating disorders. this book does not encourage it, but it also isn't a story about healing.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
thanks to edelweiss for the arc! this seriously banged. i'm torn on the rating because the parts that were good were EXCELLENT, but there were some style elements that didn't quite work for me and took away from the good bits. that being said, I really enjoyed how on-the-nose this was - it really works for the Vaudevillian vibe. I would love to read a review from someone with an eating disorder on the representation there, but personally as someone with a mother, this really felt spot fucking on. the ending also ROCKED; not too sweet, not too sour, and lived up to the spectacle it had been building to the whole time. If anyone else reads this before pub, I'd love to chat about it!!
cw: detailed descriptions of eating disorders (anorexia, BED)
cw: detailed descriptions of eating disorders (anorexia, BED)
October 2, 2026
I was excited to be able to read this advanced copy by one of my favourite authors! Chidgey does it again with her well-written complex characters and excellent prose that I enjoy so much in her novels. I liked the concept behind the main story, but I think it fell short in a few places. I don't think the views of Frank and the Annabelles were needed and the sole focus should've been on Hazel. It felt like a fever dream at times, which did fit well with the absurdity and Hazel's descent. If topics around eating disorders are a trigger for you, I have to say please don't read this book as it does get very intense. I am glad that the author included a resource for those who are effected by eating disorders at the end. Overall, I was pleased with this book as a Chidgey fan.
October 5, 2026
This book is for you if you want to go deep deep into the darkness of someone else's disturbed mind.
Hazel is in a bit of a crisis, and her childhood friend Gilda convinces her to take on a strange job at the Blackpool fair. For 40 days, she becomes the attraction at a sideshow, as The Starving Bride. All she has to do is lie in a glass case for people to stare at. But there is more to this role than it seems at first, leading Hazel into some dark places.
This book is beautifully written, and creates a fascinating atmosphere and setting. It covers topics like disordered eating, body image, fatphobia, beauty culture and diet culture, and it goes very deep into these, so be prepared. I found this book disturbing in the best way possible.
Hazel is in a bit of a crisis, and her childhood friend Gilda convinces her to take on a strange job at the Blackpool fair. For 40 days, she becomes the attraction at a sideshow, as The Starving Bride. All she has to do is lie in a glass case for people to stare at. But there is more to this role than it seems at first, leading Hazel into some dark places.
This book is beautifully written, and creates a fascinating atmosphere and setting. It covers topics like disordered eating, body image, fatphobia, beauty culture and diet culture, and it goes very deep into these, so be prepared. I found this book disturbing in the best way possible.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I just finished this thought-provoking book. It’s wacky & wonderfully weird. It reads a little like a modern-day fairy tale with echoes of a ‘princess,’ ‘a perilous tower,’ ‘evil sisters’ & a ‘protective prince’ (but with a contemporary twist.)
Always simmering away on the surface of the story are some powerful messages about body image, body shaming & the relentless pressure placed on women to look & conform in certain ways.
The Starving Bride was an unusual read, but one that definitely kept me thinking.
Thank you to @penguinbooksaus & @catherinechidgey for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Always simmering away on the surface of the story are some powerful messages about body image, body shaming & the relentless pressure placed on women to look & conform in certain ways.
The Starving Bride was an unusual read, but one that definitely kept me thinking.
Thank you to @penguinbooksaus & @catherinechidgey for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. The Starving Bride starts out strong with a dark, atmospheric premise that grabs you right away, but it ended up being a mixed bag for me.
The initial tension and eerie setup build great momentum, but the pacing gets uneven in the second half. Some of the bigger plot turns felt rushed, and a few key elements needed a bit more depth to really land.
The initial tension and eerie setup build great momentum, but the pacing gets uneven in the second half. Some of the bigger plot turns felt rushed, and a few key elements needed a bit more depth to really land.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Woah
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews