Hunger and Thirst: A Novel

By Daniela Kuper

Hunger and Thirst chronicles the rise and fall of the Trouts as they live out the longing, betrayal, and precariousness of family life in the Chicago Jewish culture of the fifties. Rich with period detail, the novel is a fierce exploration of a family that loves deeply, even as they are compelled to destroy. Irwina meets Buddy at the Aragon Ballroom as World War II is beginning. In a woman's life, there is only one first dance. Buddy sketches their future on a napkin and speaks the words she's been waiting for: Patou, Schiaparelli, Chanel, Vionnet. He has the walk, the fit, the money. She has the looks, the eye, the dreams. Besides, she's past thirty and can't keep living with Ma. They open a Frock Shop---only the big names---and give working-class women dignity and hope. For a while. Enter the demons. For Buddy, it's vodka, rage, gizmos, and a growing desire to possess his twelve-year-old daughter, Joan, as his wife pushes him away. Irwina loses herself in elaborate store windows, wears mother and wife like a sometimes garment, meets her imagined Unseen Partner in the flesh, and deflects attacks from a jealous Greek chorus of kalooki players known as the women-in-the-building. Only the daughter can see the storm coming. As Joan struggles to hold the family together, she's given some unusual gifts of survival and must finally choose between all that means home and all that she fears. A funny, sad, relentlessly clear-eyed story that marks the debut of a most gifted writer.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312208855
• ISBN13: 9780312208851
• Release Date: September 2004
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.7" x 1.1" x 5.7"

Customer Reviews

Wow!

This novel is a show-stopper -- a holy mix of dazzling language, deep thought and full-tilt emotion. It's all style and depth and characters who come walking right off the first page into your life. They lived with me in three dimensions throughout the reading of the book, and they're with me still. I'm a huge fan of much of Alice McDermott's work and, in the best sense, I think Kuper does for Jews what McDermott does for WASPS (especially compare her fine At Weddings and Wakes). This is the best novel I've read in a long, long time.

Kudos to Kuper

OK. Let me just say it. I love this book. I loved it the first time I read it, and now, nearing the half-way point of my second reading, I think I love it even more. I can't think of anyone since Kerouac who is more attuned to the rhythm and musicality of language in pursuit of an idea. It's like listening to Miles or Jimmi or Ella chase a melody. Every beat, every note is essential. Not an ounce of fat or frill or decoration. Daniela Kuper is not just a new voice, she's the whole damned band. Buy this book. Take your time and pay attention. It'll open as far as you're willing to let it.

Brilliant, poignant, funny, brave novel

I was fortunate enough to read this novel in pre-release because of a chance encounter at a literary conference with the author. I expected a good novel. What I read was a brilliantly written, absolutely unique voice telling a story about a family that wasn't like any other I have ever encountered in the literary world. Three generations of a Jewish Chicago family perfectly capturing the time periods, the ages of the characters, and a story that will take your breath away. I will leave the description of the plot for other readers to discover, as well as Ms. Kuper's unusual, vibrant, compelling prose. She is both accessible and literary/modern in style. Highly recommended and a truly original first novelist (and her depth of spirit in Hunger and Thirst reflects the fact that she is not a youngster, but a woman over forty with much life experience of tragedy and joy.

Hunger and Thirst

Dancing is a popular theme in Hunger and Thirst, though not just with regard to the Aragon Ballroom. I was amazed by Kuper's ability to so effortlessly--or so it would seem--choreograph the emotional movements of so diverse a group of characters. Few novels have left me with a similar sense of grief as I neared the end of the book, anticipating the loss of characters who, through all their quirks, dysfunction, and strength, were incredibly real and wonderfully human.

Praise for "Hunger and Thirst"

Written with a fresh, new voice and point of view, "Hunger and Thirst" is a compelling novel that is both funny and poignant. The Trout family will draw you in, moving you with their struggles one minute and making you laugh out loud the next with the unconventional situations they find themselves in. This book is a read like no other I've ever read - Daniela Kuper's voice is indeed unique. I loved it!