Sacred Hunger by Barry Unsworth

Sacred Hunger by Barry Unsworth

- Book Review By Jem11 

The sacred hunger is the desire for the accumulation of capital. While the traditional morality of the Church condemned lust and gluttony the sacred hunger is transformed into a virtue, or at least a sign of inner virtue. The pursuit of this sacred hunger led to the rise of the Atlantic slave trade. the destruction of whole communities and the transformation of hundreds of thousands of people into chattels with no more rights than a table or a desk lamp (although with vastly profitable outcomes). 

The story centres around 2 cousins, mutually antipathetic, yet each representing the early appearance of the then rising modernity - one driven by the relentless logic of the business of accumulation, the other the pursuit of science and reason regardless of consequence (including to himself).

The centre stage of the first part of the book focuses on a slave vessel. The crew mutiny and inspired by some of the more idealistic (and ruthless) members sail the ship to a place where they found an intentional community. Here the author explores certain ideas around competition, egalitarianism and inequality. The exact opposite of the ship which was a dictatorship based on the logic of fear and cruelty. However towards the end we see the utopia begin to unravel, foundering on the natural inequality of ability and temperament. Or could it have weathered these stresses? The experiment ends when the real world (the world of the 'sacred hunger') comes crashing in.

The book is also a fine story of family rivalry, revenge, love and betrayal. Highly recommended for lovers of historical fiction. For those who want a narrative that explores questions of altruism, equality, progress and human nature the book offers much to consider (without, of course, furnishing any answers.)