Review: Carnivore by K Anis Ahmed
This novel is as much a deep dive into the capitalistic hell hole that is the American city’s restaurant business as it is a meditation on immigrant identity
A debt-ridden immigrant’s account of what it is like to run a restaurant in New York during the 2008 recession, K Anis Ahmed’s Carnivore is both grotesque and gourmet-esque. The novel radiates a dark vibe in the initial chapters as Boris, a loan shark with two scary-looking henchmen, follows Kash everywhere to get back some thousands of dollars that he loaned to the unlucky restaurateur.
Kash’s multiple cafes and eateries are now running dry with minimal cash flow. He must, by all means, get a gig that will help him pay off Boris or at least keep him off his trail for a while. In comes Adair, Kash’s partner and the co-owner of one of his restaurants. Adair tells Kash about a client who wants exotic deconstructed peacock meat and is willing to pay a bomb for it. Kash agrees, in the hope that the amount will pay off at least a fraction of what he owes Boris. What starts as a desperate attempt at paying off debt, turns into a full-fledged exotic meat business when Kash decides to cater to a secretive club. The Miners Club consists of billionaires from around the world who compete with each other to host dinners that serve the world’s finest cuisine.
“What is there that one can serve that people have not had before? And especially when it involved people who could afford anything on earth?” asks Kash, who finds a way to enter the Miners Club with his partners by pitching themselves as chefs to Viktor, a Russian member of the club. Will their pitch be successful? Will Kash’s exotic meat impress the billionaires? More importantly — will he finally be able to pay off his debt to Boris?
The novel is as much a deep dive into the capitalistic hell hole that is New York city’s restaurant business as it is a meditation on Kash’s immigrant identity and its evolution. In case you feel too claustrophobic in the hustle-bustle of Queens, New York, where adult Kash struggles to make ends meet, Ahmed takes you on a detour to Dhaka, Bangladesh, where you learn about the protagonist’s childhood. Kash’s fascination with meat is rooted in his Muslim identity. In one of the chapters, there is a lengthy, graphic description of an ox being slaughtered for Eid, which forms the core of Kash’s childhood memories. This comes in handy when Kash has to (sometimes) slaughter animals for his exotic meat business.
Each time his dreams of making it to the Miners club become too aspirational and too ambitious, we are taken to Dhaka to meet a young Kash and see where this hustler immigrant’s journey began. It is a sobering shift, one that humanizes Kash even if his actions in the present day are morally grey. The constant back-and-forth between Dhaka and Queens also seems like Ahmed’s contemplation of his character’s immigrant identity. Where he comes from is more important than how far he has come. It is his roots in Dhaka that have made him a hustler in Queens.
The parallel drawn between Kash slaughtering an ox on Eid and him slaughtering a peacock for one of Viktor’s clients is a testament to how much his life has changed and yet stayed the same. The novel’s lore about just how painful the 2008 recession was continues to be relevant in 2026 as economic uncertainty looms over the world.
The humour is on-point as is the emotion though the novel is a bit sentimental in places. The following lines from Chapter 7 are among the best in the book: “Every human being is a museum of hurts. The curator is a vicious sadist. He knows where the deepest cuts, the greatest blows, the most shattering tremor points are located. And he will pull them out of the secret vault to sabotage every attempt at repair or recovery”. The satire is biting and makes Ahmed’s book a must-read.
Deepansh Duggal writes on art and culture. He tweets at Deepansh75.
A debt-ridden immigrant’s account of what it is like to run a restaurant in New York during the 2008 recession, K Anis Ahmed’s Carnivore is both grotesque and gourmet-esque. The novel radiates a dark vibe in the initial chapters as Boris, a loan shark with two scary-looking henchmen, follows Kash everywhere to get back some thousands of dollars that he loaned to the unlucky restaurateur.
Kash’s multiple cafes and eateries are now running dry with minimal cash flow. He must, by all means, get a gig that will help him pay off Boris or at least keep him off his trail for a while. In comes Adair, Kash’s partner and the co-owner of one of his restaurants. Adair tells Kash about a client who wants exotic deconstructed peacock meat and is willing to pay a bomb for it. Kash agrees, in the hope that the amount will pay off at least a fraction of what he owes Boris. What starts as a desperate attempt at paying off debt, turns into a full-fledged exotic meat business when Kash decides to cater to a secretive club. The Miners Club consists of billionaires from around the world who compete with each other to host dinners that serve the world’s finest cuisine.
“What is there that one can serve that people have not had before? And especially when it involved people who could afford anything on earth?” asks Kash, who finds a way to enter the Miners Club with his partners by pitching themselves as chefs to Viktor, a Russian member of the club. Will their pitch be successful? Will Kash’s exotic meat impress the billionaires? More importantly — will he finally be able to pay off his debt to Boris?
The novel is as much a deep dive into the capitalistic hell hole that is New York city’s restaurant business as it is a meditation on Kash’s immigrant identity and its evolution. In case you feel too claustrophobic in the hustle-bustle of Queens, New York, where adult Kash struggles to make ends meet, Ahmed takes you on a detour to Dhaka, Bangladesh, where you learn about the protagonist’s childhood. Kash’s fascination with meat is rooted in his Muslim identity. In one of the chapters, there is a lengthy, graphic description of an ox being slaughtered for Eid, which forms the core of Kash’s childhood memories. This comes in handy when Kash has to (sometimes) slaughter animals for his exotic meat business.
Each time his dreams of making it to the Miners club become too aspirational and too ambitious, we are taken to Dhaka to meet a young Kash and see where this hustler immigrant’s journey began. It is a sobering shift, one that humanizes Kash even if his actions in the present day are morally grey. The constant back-and-forth between Dhaka and Queens also seems like Ahmed’s contemplation of his character’s immigrant identity. Where he comes from is more important than how far he has come. It is his roots in Dhaka that have made him a hustler in Queens.
The parallel drawn between Kash slaughtering an ox on Eid and him slaughtering a peacock for one of Viktor’s clients is a testament to how much his life has changed and yet stayed the same. The novel’s lore about just how painful the 2008 recession was continues to be relevant in 2026 as economic uncertainty looms over the world.
The humour is on-point as is the emotion though the novel is a bit sentimental in places. The following lines from Chapter 7 are among the best in the book: “Every human being is a museum of hurts. The curator is a vicious sadist. He knows where the deepest cuts, the greatest blows, the most shattering tremor points are located. And he will pull them out of the secret vault to sabotage every attempt at repair or recovery”. The satire is biting and makes Ahmed’s book a must-read.
Deepansh Duggal writes on art and culture. He tweets at Deepansh75.
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