Reviews with content warning for Eating disorder - The Opposite of Butterfly Hunting: The Tragedy and The Glory of Growing Up

'It will get easier’ is probably the most offensive thing you can say to someone in the grip of pain. You are borrowing from a future that isn’t promised, a future that depends entirely on their endurance of the pain. You are taking for granted a well of strength within them that they may not possess, fast-forwarding through the ugly bits that you don’t want to watch but they must live through, nonetheless. ‘It will get easier’ is not a helpful thing to say to someone for whom only the present moment can exist, so vivid, so intense that it’s not possible to imagine a moment beyond it. The future doesn’t matter to someone enduring an unimaginable pain, so let’s not entertain that childish fantasy. All that matters is the pain that is consuming you in this moment, that you grit your teeth and try to survive it. You invalidate the pain and the damage it inflicts when you hasten to skip past it to a brighter tomorrow. Sometimes things are just unremittingly shit and the only respectful thing to do is to stand next to the person going through it and scream along with them.

Words cannot express how seen Evanna managed to make me feel through the retelling of her own hardships, but I know that had I read this book even a year earlier, it would not have been beneficial for my mental health at the time. Although, Evanna takes great care to be sensitive in regards to the topics she discusses, this is to its core an honest and raw depiction of mental health disorders and the process of growing up. Evanna can at times be painfully cruel to herself and she appears to feel little shame in portraying the way she acted during the toughest times in her life, which - while making this book very valuable and unique - at times makes this book very difficult to read.

Overall, I love the courage the author has shown in writing this book and, at least for me, this is a very very valuable memoir.

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bethany1327's review

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emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

5.0

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lisab11's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

I think this is one of the best memoirs I’ve ever read. Evanna’s writing is beautiful (I hope there is some fiction from her in the future!) and tells her story in a raw, moving yet ultimately hopeful way. My heart broke for her over and over again and I commend her for the courage required to tell this story. It made me reflect on the treatment of eating disorders and the massive need for integrative treatment. There are plenty of Harry Potter anecdotes for fans like me and as someone who adores Evanna’s portrayal of Luna Lovegood I found myself moved by her passion for bringing this character to life.
I highly recommend this but would encourage you to make sure you’re in a stable place and to take breaks where required.

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chassard's review against another edition

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reflective medium-paced

4.25

This could be potentially super triggering so proceed with caution for sure, but I really enjoyed it! I love that she was able to take control of the narrative after all these years and put her truth out there. I really resonated with some of these experiences, but got a new perspective on others. The disordered thinking and motivations that go along with the eating were something I never really understood before. It was educational and gripping, with some of that Harry Potter magic sprinkled in.

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lotta_8's review

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challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

4.0

Moving autobiography by Evanna about her struggles with depression and eating disorders. Definitely not an easy read but a prevalent issue. Informative and well-written.

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amelianotthepilot's review against another edition

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3.0

a harrowing memoir of evanna's experience growing up with an eating disorder with a short chapter on her time working on Potter and another on being on Dancing With the Stars.

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