A review by ari76
Every Body Shines: Sixteen Stories about Living Fabulously Fat by Cassandra Newbould

3.0

It's hard to rate short story collections as whole, but 2.5 starts rounded up to 3 feels like a fair representation of my enjoyment. It was refreshing to see literature centered around the experiences of fat folks, primarily fat youth. Like others though, I found myself torn about wanting to read stories that detail the realities of living fat (e.g., having difficulties finding clothes that fit, constant commentary from family, friends and others, insecurity) and stories that detail a fat person's reality. There's need (and space) for both, but I think the collection tended toward the former which made me less enthused about reading it sometimes. That being said, there were some gems! My favorites were Prom Queers, Orion's Star, Filling the Net, Unpleasant Surprises, and Letting Go. While most of these stories do mention anti-fat rhetoric/actions, they did so in a way that gave me a peek into the whole person and their desires. For example, Orion's Star deals with insults about the MC's fatness, but also talks about how that fits into broader family dynamics and the MC's dreams. Honorable mentions are Guilt Trip, Outside Pitch (though Mom having no repercussions was a JOKE and unbelievable), and the creepiness that is Breath You In.

In short, I'm glad this exists and authors about being thoughtful about the experiences of different characters. I also expected more fabulosity, so I'll look out for more works doing just that.