I'm not the biggest fan of anthologies. I really want to be! The concepts for most anthologies are amazing, diverse, and sound so, so interesting.
But I can never pay attention to them like they deserve. I find a few stories that hook my interest, but for every amazing story, there's one I just can't get into. But I keep giving them a try, hoping that this time, I'll love it.
Then I read Hungry Hearts. Hungry Hearts was the perfect anthology, in my opinion.
It has amazing, amazing authors (some of my favorites on the list are Sandhya Menon, Sangu Mandanna, and Rebecca Roanhorse), and a brilliant concept. But a lot of anthologies I'd read before shared those, and I still struggled with them.
The main reason for this anthology's brilliance, in my opinion, is the setup. This anthologies has 13 diverse stories of varying genres, all in the same setting: the fictional Hungry Heart road.
There are subtle threads of other stories running through each of the short stories: the fairy-like with pastries wandering into people's lives to give them boosts of happiness, a character's special soup helping a girl gather the courage to confess to her crush, interactions with an unnamed stranger over soup dumplings who later gets a name and a story himself.
The world of the stories all feels real and tangible, all these disparate genres and characters melding together into a metaphorical melting pot of different flavors and colors and textures.
This anthology felt like a food tasting, taking small samples of each author's style and genres, each bite unique, flavorful, and exquisite.
This book is definitely on my to buy list. I couldn't tell you a single story I didn't fall fully into, and wouldn't want to savor over and over.
Especially as a minority and an immigrant, my relationship to food has always felt tangible. It's a part of my history and my culture, and I don't want to lose it. It was amazing to read this and know that every author writing for this anthology felt the same way.
Take me back to Hungry Heart Road, please. It's a beautiful place, where food is a message, a feeling, an emotion.
Hungry Hearts is the perfect anthology, even for people who don't even really like them. I would highly, highly recommend it.
Have you guys read this yet, or are you planning to? Let me know your thoughts!
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