Eating Mammals: Three Mythical and Macabre Tales from Victorian England

by John Barlow

In the tradition of T. C. Boyle, Steven Millhauser, and Michel Faber—with a penchant for the macabre worthy of Irvine Welsh—comes Eating Mammals.

Gypsies, businessmen, servants, masters, and unwise children come together in three mythical tales from Victorian England. Eating Mammals evokes a lost time and place in which the realm of the magical seems almost too possible: a winged cat wreaks havoc in a Yorkshire workhouse and then in the minds of a succession of owners; a famed stunt eater introduces his apprentice, Captain Gusto, to the delicate art of devouring anything for a living; a blooming romance between two meat-pie makers leads thirty-two adorned donkeys to the altar. Wholly original and as assured as folklore, Eating Mammals marks the arrival of a very distinctive new voice.

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories, Historical Fiction, Collections

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

John Barlow's prize-winning fiction and non-fiction has been published by HarperCollins/William Morrow, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 4th Estate and various others in the UK, US, Australia, Russia, Italy, Germany, Spain and Poland.

His current project is the Joe Romano crime thriller series. The first novel, RIGHT TO KILL, is out in the UK with HQ/HarperCollins on June 24th, 2021.

***

John was born in West Yorkshire, England, in 1967. He worked as a musician before studying English Literature at Cambridge University and language acquisition at Hull University. After teaching English for several years, he moved to Spain to write full-time, and has been there ever since. He is married to Susana, with whom he has two sons. They currently live in the Galician city of A Coruña.

Apart from writing fiction, he also works as a ghost writer and journalist. He has written for the Washington Post, Slate.com, Penthouse, Departures Magazine and The Big Issue, and he is currently a feature writer for the award-winning food magazine Spain Gourmetour.

***

John's first published work, a novella, won the Paris Review's Discovery (Plimpton) Prize in 2002. He went on to publish a collection of novellas, EATING MAMMALS, the novel INTOXICATED, set in the late nineteenth century, and EVERYTHING BUT THE SQUEAL, a food-travelogue about Spain. He then published the off-beat noir novel WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO JERRY PICCO?, and three novels in the LS9 series, featuring amateur sleuth John Ray.

John has also worked with the conceptual artists goldin+enneby on their ACÉPHALE project, which has so far taken him to Nassau, Bergamo, Oslo and London, and into the company of Bahamian off-shore bankers, defamation layers, prize-winning artists, and Martina Navratilova. His writing for the project has been published variously in English, Italian, Spanish, Swedish and Portuguese, and has featured at numerous art shows/galleries in the UK, the US, Canada, Brazil, Spain, Sweden, Norway and Italy. The novel HEADLESS, based on the project, was release in 2013.

Reviews

[Cameron · Rating 4 out of 5]

if u wanna read about people eating anything but food, this is ur book

[M Burke]

"Witty, bizarre tales with ridiculous descriptions of appetite and girth. First, we have the professional eater:

One evening, after a particularly successful show in which he had performed a routine entitled Americana (forty-eight hot dogs, one for each star; thirteen slices of apple pie, one for each stripe; twenty-eight cups of punch, one for each president; and a brandy for Lincoln), he was approached by a thin, fragile man who spoke in a strange accent, and who had the eves of someone who expects yes for an answer. Laden with a stomach full of borrowed patriotism, yet happy with his performance, Michael listened with great interest to the proposal.

And the gypsy:

Inside, sitting in an armchair which seemed to occupy the whole far end of the caravan, was an enormous woman. 'Well! Come on! Let's have a look!' she said, bursting into life and hauling herself some inches up from her seat. But she flopped straight back down; the idea of getting up had been a bad one. So there she sat. And there seemed to be no end to her. Instead, there was a general movement of things which must have belonged to her body in some way. She spilled over the arms of the chair and out on to the floor in rolls and odd-shaped dollops of woman, and spread up behind her own shoulder, upwards and outwards, in all directions. She seemed to be nothing more than a big fat face grafted on to the back half of the caravan's chintz interior, her flabby mouth speaking not for a human being but as a mouthpiece for the whole dwelling.

And the policemen with a new cat:

For three weeks at Dewsbury Central Police Station, food and affection were in limitless supply. Each morning a mountain of breakfast scraps was put down for the new visitor, and throughout the day there was a never-ending series of meals and snacks and elevenses and tea breaks. The Dewsbury Constabulary, it seemed, marched on its stomach, and there were some substantial ones. Hardly an hour passed without the laying down of newspapers and pencils for a fresh round of gorging, always washed down with sweet tea, and always a saucer of it put down for the cat. The poor thing had no choice but to leave whole plates of titbits untouched, and this eventually served as a gentle hint that a cat's needs are really quite modest in comparison to a policeman's.

"

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

The three novellas of this book's title are: the title story 'Eating Mammals' which is about a professional eater called Captain Gusto, (kind of like Kobayashi Takeru only he'll literally eat anything), 'The Possession of Thomas-Bessie: a Victorian Melodrama' about a strange cat, born with a pair of small wings (don't worry, it's not in the least cutesy or cat-fancieresque), and finally 'The Donkey Wedding at Gomersal, recounted by an inhabitant of that place' about a rather odd wedding (I'll let you guess what exactly was odd about it).

They're all good solid stories, engagingly written, but the title story takes the cake, so to speak. I don't want to spoil it, but one of the last scenes is so perfectly, viscerally, stomach-churningly written that I literally felt sick reading it. Anyone can write a gross-out scene, but this is different, it was kind of a gross-out elevated to the level of art.

I recommend this book to all comers (provided they have a strong stomach) and I invite you to check out the author's first full-length novel 'Intoxicated', which I'm eagerly looking forward to reading.

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three novellas, all focused around 'mammals' and 'eating'. The first story was my favorite starting off, but got sort of slow towards the end. The second story was mediocre, and the third story I didn't think I would like, but turned out to be my absolute favorite. It also made me sort of hungry. I admit, I bought it for the title, and because it was on the Bargain Rack at Barnes & Nobles, but all in all, I wasn't disappointed.

And:

I practically devoured it (lol) in my haste to finish. It was really funny and also a little bit gross at one part, but overall, something really lighthearted and perfect for me to pass the time with. It's a collection of three novellas focussed on 'mammals' and 'eating' in some way, but the first and the last one were my favorites. If you're bored and want something really funny (and really gross) to read, this is the book for you.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three novellas, best described as "quirky". The title is puzzling, because although eating is a prominent theme in two of the stories, it has no obvious relevance to the longest novella, "The Possession of Thomas-Bessie" (a Victorian melodrama), the tale of the winged cat of Yorkshire and the misfortunes of those who tried to possess him.

The stories are amusing, though the author's style is somewhat rambling, and the first and third stories are weak as far as plot is concerned. There are a couple of very explicit descriptions of graphic violence to animals, one of which seemed entirely gratuitous.

I enjoyed the winged cat story most; the other two were unobjectionable but forgettable. The author does have a certain dry (British?) humor which I quite enjoyed.

[Sarah Menezes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe more like a 3 3/4 stars, but now I'm just getting ridiculous.
This three-novella collection was very enjoyable, humorous, well-written, and incredibly British. Although each of the novella's stories have very different subject matter, they all connect in theme and even in time an place setting, giving a good sense of the English Victorian era and classic British humor.
Plus anything with flying cats and pork-pies always gets a gold-star from this end.

[Sarah Key · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was pathetic. I practically had to force myself through the second story with the thought that "Hey, maybe the third short story will be as good as the first." I was wrong. The third story was probably worse than the second on. The only part of this book worth reading is the first story.

[Ashleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

How could I not love a book with gypsies and flying cats?

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book took its blessed time to complete, though it's mostly through my own fault. Being three short novellas, I read one at a time, across the year.

This is a set of stories deeply in love with old times. The most recent story (the first and titular one) still takes place before the age of television. The other two feel far more medieval. With the Donkey Wedding, that old mood leaves the narrative a bit dry (though the meat pies, in description, made me hungry throughout). The story of Thomas-Bessie, a winged cat, is far more engaging, with the feline oddity the subject of much speculation and superstition, to say nothing of the ownership quarrels. The title text is its own oddity, a story of upper class wealth mixing with the desperation of the entertainer.

I'd lean this toward at least a 3.5 if such things could be added on Goodreads.

[Nitya Iyer · Rating 1 out of 5]

What the hell did I just read?

No seriously!

For some reason, this book managed to hit all of my major distastes, and yet I kept reading, hoping against hope to find something I would like.

And I did.

It ended.

Honestly, the third story was my favorite, although that's not saying much, because it featured some characters I would have loved to learn more about.

Otherwise, it felt like a nausea-inducing, wordy read.

At least it was a quick read though.

[Shelby Hamon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe it's my fault for not doing more research but as i started reading this i was...shocked to find that it was quite absurd which is not my style of entertainment or humor. I did finish this as that is my style but i was confused the entire time.

I have considered returning and rereading a story or two and see if i enjoy them more now that i know they are whimsical and silly. I will update my review if i decide to do that.

[Ben Brackett · Rating 2 out of 5]

While he certainly is a talented writer, I didn't actually enjoy any of these stories.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can only remember two of the three stories. They all seem to take place in the earlier half of this century or earlier, and they all have a slightly creepy vibe I wouldn't call horror, but maybe uneasiness? One is about a winged cat that is feared by some, loved by others, and coveted by a lot of people who see it as a money-maker. You never know if the cat has any good or evil to it, but it does cause a lot of trouble for a lot of people. The other story is about a guy who makes a living doing a sideshow act where he grinds things up and eats them. He can eat anything as long as it is ground up and he drinks this lubricating juice with it, but times get hard and the things he is forced to eat get worse and worse.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though the "mammal" theme seems a bit tenuous as a link, all three of the novellas are enjoyable in their own ways, all set against a Victorian backdrop. Overall, I felt the first to be the strongest overall, with the second the most Gothic in feel, and the third the funniest. The first novella has a bit of shock value towards the end but make no mistake, this is not a tale that glorifies animal cruelty but an exploration of performance, exploitation, the lies that we tell ourselves, and the price we pay for them...and a pretty darn good one at that.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny and strange. These novellas all take place in Victorian times, and Barlow both represents it fondly and pokes fun at it. The first two novellas each had one horrifying scene in them (esp if you're sensitive about dead/abused animals), but overall this collection is great. I'm still obsessing over some of the ideas.

[Katy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up on a whim when I had a gift certificate and read it in the mid '00s. Yuck. I did not enjoy it at all, although I managed to finish it. Fortunately I have managed to forget most of it, and I have no plans to even try to re-read it to analyze and explain why I didn't like it. I just didn't. 'Nuff said.

[Fellini · Rating 3 out of 5]

Сборник из трёх "ярмарочных" историй, ярких, своеобразных и неправдоподобных. В компанию к летающей кошке и мужчине, поедающему стулья, так и просятся Женщина с бородой, сиамские близнецы, и прочие невиданные чудеса. Решительно не понимаю критиков, окрестивших автора "викторианским панком". Ну да, физиологизма и грязи в описаниях хватает, но истинный панк же не в этом, м?

[Marsha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eating Mammals includes three stories set in Victorian England. Bsrlow takes his good old time telling a story, which I found fairly refreshing myself. All three stories are amusing in their own way. It's not awesome reading, but pleasant, and time nicely spent if not entirely memorable.

[michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you enjoy quirky stories that may make your tummy feel funny, this is a good read.

[DMS · Rating 2 out of 5]

http://dms.booklikes.com/post/382188/...

[Penelope · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the first two stories. The third story was just as well written as the first two, but I didn't find it as interesting.

[Daryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

First story and a half were fine. The rest I don't even remember reading. I guess that's not a good thing? At least I didn't hate it.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

[Gabrielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

At times comic, at times grotesque, and at times just bizarre, Barlow's amusing novellas combine magical realism with a pseudo-Victorian writing style. Enjoyable.

[Louise Chambers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Isn't as macabre as the back cover would lead one to believe. The first one is the most difficult I think. I liked the third one very much.

[Christopher Murphy · Rating 2 out of 5]

A collection of humorously bizarre stories often involving curious culinary feats. Cute.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing!

[Greg Giannakis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Five stars if it hadn't been for the slightly underwhelming final story.

[Jennifer Dutton Martini · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful.