I have always been a fan of the supernatural-slash-horror genre and its assorted mix of devilish creatures that drink blood, kill, maim or are otherwise mean just for the hell of it. There’s nothing like reading a book that makes you bite your nails off as you turn page after page after page and wonder what you would do if your consciousness were magically played down in favor of purely animal instincts – and I’m not talking about the nice ones.

Enter Gladys Furphy and Jessica James with Morbid Cravings, A Novel. The book offers a feminist approach to the horror genre, in addition to providing a background for discussion of what is considered “normal” – a well-established, successful woman impaired by an eating disorder, or her werewolf persona, which is confident and cares for food to the extent that it must be obtained and eaten without further ado, free of the anguish and suffering associated with anorexia and/or bulimia. In Morbid Cravings, girls, be they in human or werewolf form, rule.

There is merit in trying to entertain and raise awareness of an issue that affects the lives of thousands of parents and young women. Morbid Cravings knows the audience it’s aiming for. Gladys Furphy, who co-authored the book with Jessica James, is a mental health doctor who has worked with victims of anorexia and bulimia, and this experience shows when we are taken through the main character’s daily woes with her disorder.

Set in the quaint little town of New Hamden, Connecticut, Morbid Cravings kicks off by introducing us to Hilda Brooks, an attractive young math teacher plagued by an eating disorder – to point that her condition defines not only herself but mostly how she reacts to her environment. At this point, it’s all about not eating.  One day, as she leaves from a café after meeting friends Bev and Lindsay, Hilda is attacked by a wolf-like creature, but somehow manages to escape. Rushed to an E.R., Hilda is treated by Dr. Darren Starkton and not only survives, but, as she later finds out, develops an uncontrollable appetite. Of all things, for red meat.

You know where this is going: the wolf-like creature responsible for the initial attack is indeed a werewolf and Hilda has become a … Wolfbitch, the politically correct and gender-sensitive nom de guerre for chick werewolves, as well defined by Jared Red Cloud, Dr. Starkton’s best friend, a Cheyenne with an uncanny connection to wolves.