Interesting take on a vegan's view of flesh eaters, bones and all. (And yes, Camille, I did grow repulsed at the thought of the bone in steak I ate last night, but not enough yet to close the door on a good burger!) However, this book goes way beyond the scope of vegan thinking. Maren is a young girl trying to find her way in a world which would reject her for what she does if they only knew, (our deep, dark secrets) although others like her seem to recognize what she is. (Her mother does discover the basic nature of her child and ultimately does reject her for her evil ways.) Even a mother's love can only go so far when her child is incurably evil. One has to enter this novel with a “willing suspension of disbelief” that so many works of art require.On a literal level a horrific and macabre story (not too much because it can be YA) . On a metaphorical level this book is replete with unresolved ideas, tension which, I believe , makes for great literature. Are the cannibalistic people the evil ones in the world? Or could some of the cannibals be a force of good that rid the world of evil people as Maren tells Sully. The lines can be blurry. It can work both ways. The pull of vegan and carnivore, as well as the complex and turgid world of teenagers in discovery of self are perhaps the obvious issues. But going further, the innocent are consumed. The do gooders consumed. Kind little old ladies consumed. Babysitter consumed. Graduate student consumed. Why? There is a force of evil in the world which is covered with a thin veneer of civility. Frightening to think that the innocents cannot recognize it. This makes me want to recoil into my shell even more. No good deed goes unpunished? No relationship on any level can sustain itself without one party “consuming” the other? Frightening. All of us, to some extent, are guilty of this. Some are simply nonfeeling and callous (Sully) . Others perhaps seem to have a bit more conscience but proceed anyway(Maren) They cannot help it (heredity and environment). Psychological vampires abound in our world. Do people want to destroy before they are destroyed or consumed? There are many different levels of evil.Although at first I was a bit disappointed in the resolution, when going on the premise of good and evil , I recognized that it was a perfect ending. Evil's presence in the world will never end and not always recognizable. These issues are not tidy. Besides, didn't someone once say Just be yourself because everyone else is taken? More tension...ugh.