In a society desperate for distraction, a woman performing starvation overcommits

Catherine Chidgey's latest novel, The Starving Bride, takes readers to the English seaside town of Blackpool as residents seek refuge from the present by immersing themselves in the past. The town's council promotes a #ASimplerTime campaign, reviving Blackpool's Golden Mile with new attractions like arcades, sideshows, and vaudeville acts.

However, not all is innocent; animal cruelty, blackface, and the problematic "midget town" have returned, along with the "Starving Bride" act from the 1930s, featuring young women publicly starving themselves for the masses' entertainment.

The protagonist, Hazel Whitlock, arrives in Blackpool after losing her job and her relationship. Initially hoping to join her childhood friend Gilda as a dancer in the Blackpool Circus, she is instead chosen as the new Starving Bride. Installed in a glass coffin beneath the town's iconic tower, Hazel must display herself for 40 days for a 40,000-pound reward. To maintain her appearance, she wears makeup, clothing, and exhibits languor, while the lion, Xander, is fully trained and often sedated.

While the act relies on trickery and illusion, it fulfills an audience's desire to believe in feats of endurance and public degradation. Yet, not everything is as safe as it seems. The act's manager, who remains undisclosed, aims to keep the Bride from completing her 40 days. Xander is more unpredictable than initially believed, and the town councillor becomes increasingly worried about the tower's deteriorating foundations.

Hazel, with a history of eating disorders, body dysmorphia, and cyberbullying, slowly finds herself drawn into the Starving Bride performance, embracing self-control and the audience's fascination. Soon, Hazel's act becomes the town's signature attraction.

Despite its nostalgic setting, The Starving Bride explores the 21st-century concerns of body image, self-surveillance, and the lure of escapism. Chidgey connects the revived entertainments of Blackpool to these contemporary issues, revealing that the town's promised respites from modern life are illusory. Hazel's story highlights the dangers of public display and the bodies on display, as well as the sinister transformation of these seaside towns into spaces that offer a false sense of refuge.