Review: Inside the Outside by Martin Lastrapes

4.8 stars and $4.99 for Kindle. 

Worth every penny!

GRAND PRIZE WINNER (2012): PARIS BOOK FESTIVAL

WINNER (GENERAL FICTION) (2012): HOLLYWOOD BOOK FESTIVAL

RUNNER-UP (2012): NEW YORK BOOK FESTIVAL

RUNNER-UP (2012): SAN FRANCISCO BOOK FESTIVAL

Timber Marlow is a teenage cannibal who has lived her entire life within a cult called the Divinity of Feminine Reproach and by the time she is fifteen years old she has already killed three men. When Timber takes an opportunity to explore the Outside, she bears witness to some dark and unsettling truths about the world around her and the integral role she plays in it. In this debut novel, laced with scenes of horrific violence and uplifting humanity, Martin Lastrapes has written a one-of-a-kind story about love, friendship, sacrifice, and cannibalism.

Thirty-six 5-star reviews! And well-deserved. Consider this number 37. 5/5 stars!

Let’s talk about what this book is. It’s a coming of age story about Timber Marlow, a young refugee from a cannibal compound who innocently faces a whole new world while the danger of escaping her sheltered life with more than a few bodies behind her lurks in the shadows.

The Divinity could have been any kind of compound and the story would be more or less the same. Don’t let the cannibalism throw you. The Divinity was well-detailed, though rarely gruesome and as Timber accepts her cannibal lifestyle as “normal”, so did I as the reader. The author does a great job of showing the closeness and innocence of Timber’s friendships, her natural curiosity, and her innate intellect which makes her so very real. There is something about her you can’t help but love and root for. Knowing a villain was waiting for his revenge, I had to keep turning the pages to see if she was safe.

I can tell you that I haven’t had a book call me back as much as Inside the Outside in some time. The characters are unconventional, flawed, and as real as the world Martin’s made for them. You’ll laugh, cry, and feel outraged, all the while rooting for Timber’s happy ending. I can’t tell you whether or not she gets it. That you’ll have to read to find out. A gripping, page-turning awesome tale that I couldn’t get enough of.


Want a less spoiler-free review? Check this one out. Detailed and right on point.