Customer Reviews

Confessions of a Flesh Eaters: Dedalus Original Fiction in Paperback Ser.

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The story of Orlando Crispe, chef extraordinaire is (among other things) a study of misogynist pschychology (I liked the treatment of Freud in particular), an ode to gourmet cooking, a satire of restaurant (and other) critics and a philosophic tract.

Very much in the tradition of Peter Greenaway's "The Cook, the Thief, his Wife and her Lover". A bit like "Perfume", but better in my view.

Not for the faint hearted.

"Confessions of a Flesh Eater" serves up a gourmet meal and does not hold back on the condiments, though the cooking remains simple despite reflecting the complexities of Orlando Crispe - chef extraordinaire, gnostic and hedonist.

Single-mindedly devoted to his cause of inducing in the Eater the emotions he wishes to convey, he lets us taste the lives of others with the unique flavours imparted by their experience and demise.

Crispe is delightfully prurient, and there is method to his madness, which justifies his actions on the basis of what he terms 'absorptionism': The consumption of flesh is a final act of love, with the weaker being eaten, ascending to ultimate fulfilment by becoming part of the stronger.