SOURCE: Wilson, Bee. “Not in the Very Best of Taste.” The Times (London) (22 August 2001): 12.

In the following review, Wilson finds The Devil's Larder to be a clever, dark, and disturbing compilation of stories.

Whenever a new book or film about food comes out, which happens with gluttonous frequency now, reviewers fall upon it as if it were not a work of art but a large and agreeable piece of cake. Delicious! Delectable! Devour this! they clamour. All the ingredients for a mouth-watering read! This satisfies the egos of both author and critic. It not only sells books, it virtually guarantees that the review will appear on the dustjacket.

In the case of Jim Crace's new book of 64 fictional fragments about food [The Devil's Larder], such an approach would not be warranted. This is no Chocolat. Crace does not seek to sugar our palates or flatter our greed. He...