S. F. Prescott

Twisted and anxiety-inducing!

Born in 1994 in Newcastle Upon Tyne; Currently in London. BOY PARTS – INFLUX PRESS, 2020. PENANCE – FABER & FABER, JULY 2023. SHE’S ALWAYS HUNGRY – FABER & FABER, 2024.

Published November 12th, 2024.

I really enjoyed Boy Parts, so when I heard Eliza Clark was publishing a collection of short fiction, I knew I had to read it. I expected the stories to align more with her previous work but was surprised to discover a mix of erotica, body horror, and sci-fi. Clark’s voice is compelling and addictive, and she led me willingly from one dark story to the next. Each gripped me in a different way, some more than others, but I could appreciate them all individually. Her writing style is quirky and she adds humor to dark topics in an effortless way. Hunger was the central theme and I loved the way she explored it using vastly different scenarios. I also tip my hat to anyone who experiments with narrative structure, as seen in “The Shadow Over Little Chitaly.” The stories that stood out to me were: “Build a Body Like Mine,” in which a woman welcomes a parasite into her body in order to lose weight; in “Hollow Bones,” a woman suffers from a severe (and gory) infection on an alien planet; and in “The King,” an immortal female cannibal rules over a faction of humanity during the apocalypse. I always enjoy short fiction so this was a treat, and I’m looking forward to reading whatever she publishes next.

For readers who enjoy body horror, dark humor, and a wide variety of short stories.

Synopsis:

A woman welcomes a parasite into her body.

A teenager longs for perfect skin.

A scientist tends to fragile alien flora.

A young man takes the night into his own hands. 

Unsettling, revelatory, and laced with her signature dark humor, Eliza Clark’s debut short story collection plumbs the depths of that most basic human feeling: hunger.