Hunger Pains
Published on 9. April 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
128 pages
978-1-80496-308-1 (ISBN)
Description
A Quick Reads story from the author of That Reminds Me and Borderline Fiction
FROM GRANTA BEST OF YOUNG BRITISH NOVELIST AND WINNER OF THE DESMOND ELLIOT PRIZE
Ray wants the perfect body.
But how far is too far?
When his training turns extreme, Ray is pulled into a dark gym culture that promises results at any cost. As his body changes, so does his mind. Watching from the side lines is his girlfriend Temi, a journalist who expresses concern but has her own secret agenda.
Hunger Pains is a gripping story about obsession, control, and what happens when self-improvement becomes self-destruction.
Praise for Derek Owusu:
'Owusu can find humour in the bleakest places, taking you on an emotional rollercoaster and constantly challenging how you feel about a place meant to heal' Daniel Lawrence Taylor
'Derek Owusu is the real deal' Keiran Goddard
'Derek Owusu's writing is honest, moving, delicate, but tough. Once you lock on to his words, it is hard to break eye contact' Benjamin Zephaniah
FROM GRANTA BEST OF YOUNG BRITISH NOVELIST AND WINNER OF THE DESMOND ELLIOT PRIZE
Ray wants the perfect body.
But how far is too far?
When his training turns extreme, Ray is pulled into a dark gym culture that promises results at any cost. As his body changes, so does his mind. Watching from the side lines is his girlfriend Temi, a journalist who expresses concern but has her own secret agenda.
Hunger Pains is a gripping story about obsession, control, and what happens when self-improvement becomes self-destruction.
Praise for Derek Owusu:
'Owusu can find humour in the bleakest places, taking you on an emotional rollercoaster and constantly challenging how you feel about a place meant to heal' Daniel Lawrence Taylor
'Derek Owusu is the real deal' Keiran Goddard
'Derek Owusu's writing is honest, moving, delicate, but tough. Once you lock on to his words, it is hard to break eye contact' Benjamin Zephaniah
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Cornerstone
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 129 mm
Thickness: 10 mm
Weight
180 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-80496-308-1 (9781804963081)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Derek Owusu
Hunger Pains
The conversation-starting Quick Reads story from the award-winning author of Borderline Fiction (Quick Reads 2026)
E-Book
04/2026
Merky Books Digital
€4.99
Available for download
Person
Derek Owusu is a writer, poet and podcaster from north London. He discovered his passion for literature at the age of twenty-three while studying exercise science at university. Unable to afford a change of degree, Derek began reading voraciously and sneaking into English Literature lectures at the University of Manchester. Derek edited and contributed to Safe: On Black British Men Reclaiming Space. That Reminds Me, his first solo work, won the Desmond Elliott Prize 2020.