When local author Jess Hagemann first considered a perfect flick to present alongside her new book, I imagine it was a wild coin toss between showing either Martyrs or Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette. Hagemann’s novel, Mother Eating, plays with ideas from both. It updates Antoinette’s story for the modern day, relocating it to Austin with protagonist Mari Toni sold into marriage to a torture-heavy sex cult instead of French royalty. In the end, Martyrs’ connection of transcendence through pain won out. Join Hagemann for a watch-and-read party, with plenty of opportunity to discuss the dark intersections of womanhood and religious fanaticism. – Cat McCarrey