Creative Writing Group Forum Horror question

I want to write a story about a cannibal, but not sure how to start. I want my main character to be able to be relatable even though he is a cannibal. any suggestions on how to do that? I am going to give him a girlfriend who isn't a cannibal as well. it will be horror.

Hmm. Have you ever seen Dexter? He isn't a cannibal but a serial killer. He only kills people who he can justify killing in a weird moral way. For example drug dealers and so on. People society wouldn't care so much about. Maybe try making him kill those who who are morally corrupt. He literary eats their sins. If you find someone for the reader to hate more then your character then they might not mind the cannibalizing of said person. Don't know. Hard question.

Think about setting as well. I'm sure if you set your story in 1940's Germany not many will care if he eats a few Nazi's. Are in Eastern Europe during Russian occupation.

You could start with how he first got his taste for human flesh, starting with the blood first, for example his friend or girlfiend or whatever, pricks their finger and he kisses it in sympathy and accidently tastes the blood? A little lame I know! but the only example I can think of at the moment! Good luck!

Having read the responses I have wracked my brain on how to make a cannibal sympathetic. Nothing came to mind but I like the idea of a sin eater. I dimly remember people who used to do that. Eat dead peoples sins. I believe they would leave bread and wine on the dead body over night and then the Sin Eater would eat the bread and wine which had absorbed the dead person's sins. Leads to some great titles: THE SIN EATER EATERS OF THE DEAD both sadly already used The only other thing I could add really is you might consider making the story 'darkly comic' so if the villains are truly evil and unlikeable your audience may well cheer the 'hero' on.