Big Brother by Lionel Shriver

I have to wonder whether any of the true highlights of my fortysome years have had to do with food.

This sentence falls under the category of unusual thoughts. These types of sentences work wonders in hooking people if the lines are intelligent and unusual. I think this line is both; it's something that we can all ponder. Food plays a bigger role in our lives than anything else. Try not eating for a day and see how empty the day will feel. The rest of the paragraph explores this thought further and raises some interesting points:

Oddly, for something I do every day, I can't remember many meals in detail...

On the third page we gt the announcement:

We are all animals...

Blunt and frank and for some people who don't know who they are, quite risky. I like the tone this one is taking with me. But overall, there is something of preamble in all this. There is no forward narrative conflict yet, just narrative, but it's unusual enough to keep one reading until some conflict will eventually show up.

First thing said:

"Slack Muncie called this morning."

Verdict: Pass

Sincerely,
Theodore Moracht