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senpai_no_lie's review
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
A series of short stories where just about every woman character is fat or struggling with their self-image regardless of their weight. No one is truly happy. I didn't enjoy reading this, but it wasn't bad. Just not really my type of story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, and Misogyny
Moderate: Toxic friendship and Death of parent
withlivjones's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
A series of vignettes depicting moments in a fat girl’s life from her teens to her late twenties or so.
Let me preface this review by saying that this rating has nothing to do with the quality of the writing in this book. I love how Awad’s writing feels psychedelic, like a fever dream, I can only describe it as wading through something thick and fluid. And I also love how she creates complex, flawed characters, the tone of her writing is quite apathetic so there’s a little bit of disgust felt for each character, but at the same time you still feel some sympathy for Lizzie, our protagonist, because although she’s a pretty awful person, you can see how her complicated relationship with her mother and the way she was taken advantage of by older men as a teen has shaped her into the adult she is. A lot of her experiences are so relatable as a fat girl - not wanting to look in the mirror for fear of ruining how you think you look in the outfit you picked out; subconsciously scrutinising other people’s bodies because you’re so used to picking out the flaws in your own; feeling frustration and despair in a clothing store changing room; the hideousness of plus size fashion!!
So, the writing is definitely five stars. It’s a good book. But it’s not an enjoyable book. I felt a deep sense of discomfort and despair the whole time I was reading this book. It explores some difficult and potentially very triggering topics in a lot of detail. It’s message seems to be that if you’re fat and you’re not content with the way you look (or even if you’re thin and not content), you’re never going to live a fulfilling life, but at the same time if you don’t do anything about your weight people will look down on you and you’ll die of diabetes or heart failure - you can’t win! It’s depressing. Maybe I would have liked it more if there was more of a resolution at the end.
So overall, five stars for writing, two stars for personal enjoyment. I’m glad I read it, but I’m not going to be reaching for it again any time soon, nor would I recommend it to someone else.
Let me preface this review by saying that this rating has nothing to do with the quality of the writing in this book. I love how Awad’s writing feels psychedelic, like a fever dream, I can only describe it as wading through something thick and fluid. And I also love how she creates complex, flawed characters, the tone of her writing is quite apathetic so there’s a little bit of disgust felt for each character, but at the same time you still feel some sympathy for Lizzie, our protagonist, because although she’s a pretty awful person, you can see how her complicated relationship with her mother and the way she was taken advantage of by older men as a teen has shaped her into the adult she is. A lot of her experiences are so relatable as a fat girl - not wanting to look in the mirror for fear of ruining how you think you look in the outfit you picked out; subconsciously scrutinising other people’s bodies because you’re so used to picking out the flaws in your own; feeling frustration and despair in a clothing store changing room; the hideousness of plus size fashion!!
So, the writing is definitely five stars. It’s a good book. But it’s not an enjoyable book. I felt a deep sense of discomfort and despair the whole time I was reading this book. It explores some difficult and potentially very triggering topics in a lot of detail. It’s message seems to be that if you’re fat and you’re not content with the way you look (or even if you’re thin and not content), you’re never going to live a fulfilling life, but at the same time if you don’t do anything about your weight people will look down on you and you’ll die of diabetes or heart failure - you can’t win! It’s depressing. Maybe I would have liked it more if there was more of a resolution at the end.
So overall, five stars for writing, two stars for personal enjoyment. I’m glad I read it, but I’m not going to be reaching for it again any time soon, nor would I recommend it to someone else.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Grief, and Misogyny
Moderate: Death of parent and Sexual content
So much internalised fatphobia and misogyny from the protagonist
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