Reviews with content warning for Dysphoria - Muttermilch

First of all, the biggest trigger warning in the world for eating disorders and fatphobia. Vivid detail about calorie counts, extremely restrictive food rituals, weight (with mention of numbers), binge-eating, etc. Also readers should know that there is discussion of parental abuse as well as vivid descriptions of sex/masturbation and it gets quite Freudian.

The weirdest book I've ever read. But also I was engrossed by it. Couldn't put it down. I read half of it in the first sitting then was thinking about it even when I wasn't reading it. I finished it in less than a day.

"This was the thing about boundaries: they made sense in therapy, but when you tried to implement them in the real world, people had no idea what you were talking about. Or deep down they knew exactly what you were talking about and immediately set to work reinforcing their case of denial."
I will remember the line about how her going to her mother for praise/support was like going to the hardware store for milk.

Problematic? Absolutely. [ She fucks a woman who is her "worst nightmare" of what she would look like if she was fat. I don't know what I expected the ending to be. It felt a bit sudden and also leaves you with many questions. (hide spoiler)]

So an extremely weird book with a touch of incest-vibes but it's really captivating. I think I'd give this a 3.75.

Content Warnings

iarinas's review against another edition

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fast-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

2.25

Eating disorders, sex and mommy issues.

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tanviuma's review against another edition

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emotional funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

i loved this book - clearly as i read it in one day. i related to rachel a lot and found it comforting to have a similar experience written out in front of me. however i think people in ed recovery should be wary of reading this, as although it could be helpful in some cases it can also be very triggering. especially the first half of the book. however i think melissa broder did not intend for it to be triggering and i applaud her amazing writing.

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ladybergart's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny lighthearted sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Periodically I start into books with really high expectations, either because of the blurb, how the book introduces me to it's writing or it's a book that's been recommended to me quite often.

Unfortunately this my expectations were a bit too high.

I really enjoyed the first 2/3 of the book. The were written in such a sensual, poetic, clear cut way. And then the writing veered off.

so of the issues stayed unaddressed. Rachel, the protagonist, who has disordered eating since the was a child, suddenly is healed through a relationship, that isn't even going that well. An eating disorder can't just disappear overnight.

Her issues with her mother, which where such a central motif at the beginning of the book and who is also the cause for her eating disorder, so that her psychiatrist challenges her to not contact her mother for 90 days, stay as good as unaddressed.

The blurb also put heavy emphasis on the "pedaling into nothingness", but it hardly mentioned more than three times in the book.

The characters are really rich and colourful and "rubenesque" and formed- until the last 1/3. It feels a bit rushed and shallower (?).

And the way the last two chapter develop, it's just frustrating.

Content Warnings

blairnecessities's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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