We often hear that literature needs strong female characters, as if a heroine’s role were to embody a model, defy norms, right wrongs, and shine with brilliance. But there is another kind of strength — quieter, rougher — the strength of women who remain standing despite their failures, who don’t try to seduce or persuade, who move forward in a mix of smoldering anger, fatigue, and misplaced tenderness.

She’s Always Hungry by Eliza Clark is a collection of eleven short stories that, through the lens of “hunger,” masterfully blend body horror, psychological drama, and social satire. The tales shift effortlessly between raw realism, chilling science fiction, and grotesque folklore, all delivered in Clark’s razor-sharp prose that fuses repulsion with fascination.

A personal essay on cutting down meat without cutting out pleasure — and how one man’s swollen toe saved us both.