Luke Dumas is quickly becoming one of the most reputable names in the horror genre – his novels consistently unafraid of exploring the depraved depths of human vulnerability whilst deftly balancing keen psychological insight with genuinely uncomfortable, revelatory truths.
The USA The bestselling author of ‘The Paleontologist’ and ‘A History of Fear’ and winner of the 2024 ITW Thriller Award for Best Paperback Original, returns this March 31 with ‘Nothing Tastes as Good,’ a novel that tackles people’s complex relationships with body, identity, appetite and desire.
The book centers on Emmett, a man who feels trapped in a body he’s anything but comfortable with and a frustrating, monotonous existence. In the hopes of turning things around, he signs up for a radical weight-loss trial that transforms him virtually overnight – but at a huge cost. As blackouts, uncontrollable cravings and a spate of missing persons mount, he quickly realizes that earning acceptance may involve a transformation that’s far more monstrous than it is miraculous.
To mark the novel’s release next week, CinemaChords sat down with Dumas to discuss its themes of self-loathing and the desire to be accepted, and how body image and social conditioning influence our understanding of ourselves and others. We also discussed how the novel explores the ways modern media and cultural narratives reinforce these perceptions, and the twisted comfort people find in them, despite how much they distort and ultimately diminish the meaningful qualities and experiences of life.
