If you’ve ever listened to the podcast you know that I have an insatiable fascination for all things absurd or just plain wrong. Whether it be my obsession with Law & Order: SVU (A.K.A. Law & Order: Rape Edition) or my excitement for mutilation in horror movies, my desire to be disgusted is unnaturally high. That being said, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that a recent trip to the used bookstore resulted in the purchase of a book exclusively dedicated to people eating people.
Cannibals, by English author Jimmy Lee Shreeve, is a non-fiction romp through the world of anthropophagy. Published in 2009, it was written in response to an online friendship Shreeve had with a self-hating cannibal named Eric Soames. Believing that his hunger for human flesh was caused by demonic possession, Soames contacted Shreeve after reading his book Doktor Snake’s Voodoo Spellbook. He was convinced that Shreeve was an expert in the occult, and asked him to help cure his cannibalistic cravings.
It goes without say that the contents of Cannibals isn’t intended for all audiences. In fact, its subject matter will likely disturb most people, and Shreeve makes no attempt candy-coat the gorey details. In many cases, the cannibal in question not only eats their victim, but gets sexually aroused while doing so. Hell, jerking off to corpses is your basic Cannibalism 101. You wouldn’t believe the sick shit they do afterward.
Each chapter of Cannibals is broken up into smaller sections that range from a few paragraphs to several pages. This style of writing is one of my favorites because of the quick-read illusion that it creates. You keep thinking, “That didn’t take very long at all. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to read just one more.” It also makes it perfect to read on the bus or during, ahem, bathroom breaks. Topics range from infamous serial killers like Jefferey Dahmer and Ed Gein, to the lesser known Armin Meiwes and Issei Sagawa. There’s even a bit on the legendary Sawney Beane and company, a cannibal whom I believe to be the inspiration for the Wrong Turn movies.
I had a blast reading this book, but I do have a few minor complaints. The first cannibal spotlight was for the above mentioned Meiwes. It was lengthy and detailed, starting with his childhood and ending with his eventually arrest. Other the other hand, the section on Tsutomu Miyazai (The Otaku Murderer) was less than a page. It would have been much nicer if everyone got the same amount of attention that Meiwes did.
Another problem was that Shreeve kept proposing the same questions without giving n answer. Are people born cannibals? Does a crappy childhood create a cannibal? Is cannibalism the result of demonic possession? While it’s true that these are very difficult questions to answer definitively, he could have at least posited a theory. Instead he repeats himself over and over like a bad high school research paper. These moments, however, are few and far between and don’t detract from the real meat of the book.
But the biggest disappoint of all was that it ended too soon. Cannibals is just shy of 300 pages, which is average book length, but I wish it would've been 300 more. I had such a great time reading this book that I didn't want it to end. Luckily, there is no shortage of creepy cannibal books out there. If you're a creep like me and you find this book for $15 or less, I can't recommend it enough, but for God's sakes don't pay the full MSRP of nearly $30.
