"Addressing topics such as race, families, relationships, and identity, this work can be likened to Celeste Ng’s Our Missing Hearts, Susie Yang’s White Ivy, and Jean Kwok’s Leftover Woman. Filled with unexpected twists and shocking elements, Dang’s novel will appeal to adults and teens alike and have them looking more from this promising new voice."
—Library Journal, Starred Review

"[Ronny's] gleeful, predatory meanness is as delicious as the mi Qu?ng and nem chua served up by her mother. Later, learning her family history will reveal that she comes by her peculiar tastes honestly. What Hunger is a disturbing and compelling pleasure." 
—BookPage

"Brutal and poignant; Dang writes beautifully about the complexity of adolescence and generational trauma."
—Kirkus Reviews

"Dang keenly captures her narrator’s alienation and anger, and the intergenerational tale concludes with a powerful revelation about the parents’ unspoken trauma from the Vietnam War. This one hits hard."
—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

"Intense, visceral, and not to be missed." 
—Booklist, Starred Review

“Raw, violent, tender, beautiful: Catherine Dang’s coming-of-age horror encapsulates both the savagery and fragility of teenage girlhood, like if Jennifer’s Body was elevated by a rich exploration of grief and a Vietnamese refugee family’s experiences in America after fleeing war. Dang’s darkly playful portrayal of cannibalism is vivid, funny, real—and a perfectly gruesome metaphor for female rage. It builds and boils, and the final twist had me cheering.”
—Ashley Winstead, USA Today-bestselling author of Midnight is the Darkest Hour

"What Hunger is a beautifully woven coming-of-age story about loss, identity, and intergenerational trauma. Dang's writing pulses with a simmering rage, and the novel's bloodcurdling conclusion will leave readers with a lasting sense of satisfaction." 
—Monika Kim, author of The Eyes Are the Best Part

"What Hunger is a raw portrayal of the violence that bubbles up inside us in the uncertainty of grief and adolescence. This book is as fierce, unpredictable, and tender as the teenage girl at its center."
—Puloma Ghosh, author of Mouth

"Tender, bold and brutally honest, What Hunger follows a Vietnamese refugee family struggling with questions of identity and grief. Dang deftly balances a poignant coming of age story and a gripping portrayal of feminine power. A brilliant novel filled with heartbreak and suspense."
—K.T. Nguyen, author of You Know What You Did

“Gut-wrenching and raw (in more ways than one), What Hunger lays bare the devastating impact of grief, and how traumas, both past and present, can collide, redefining one’s understanding of family, heritage, and identity. This utterly engrossing tale of female rage had me at page one, going from slow simmer to full boil in the most brutal and delicious of ways.”
—Robin Wasley, William C. Morris Award finalist for Dead Things Are Closer Than They Appear

“A hypnotic blend between a touching coming of age story and visceral exploration of adolescent rage, What Hunger made me laugh, flinch, and cry. I couldn’t put it down.” 
—E.K. Sathue, author of youthjuice