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A review by alexiasophii
The Opposite of Butterfly Hunting by Evanna Lynch
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.75
"We’re afraid that if we show these ugly, unpalatable parts of ourselves, it will be too much for others; that nobody will love and accept us, and we’ll be left alone with only the worst parts of ourselves for company."
"And I decide, now, in this moment, that I want it; I want this body. I want to inhabit her, enjoy her, care for her, and defend her in this world. And I no longer want to be yet another voice telling her she’s disgusting or embarrassing or inadequate or too much. I want to be one of those arresting voices of love and compassion, to offer her a space where she can go to restore, to feel safe, to grow."
WOW.
This book is profound, gut-wrenching, and transformative. Evanna's warning at the beginning of the book is true, the book focused about 80 or 90% of it on the eating disorder aspects. It is very graphic what Evanna went through. A good part of the book, and that I enjoyed, is that Evanna does not mention weights or calories or any of those things. As she says, eating disorders feed on the "achievements" and on measuring against other people. Learning how much other people weigh, especially at the lowest point of their battle, is not empathic, it is competitive. And it is not helpful to anyone. I particularly enjoyed how Evanna explains her journey and shows that healing is not linear, but a series of battles and fights, up and downs, wins and losses.
This book is definitely not good for people who struggle with eating disorders, especially anorexia or bulimia. Be careful of Evanna's first Author's Note, she is being very sincere and direct in her warnings.
Overall, I loved this book. I truly did. And I think it sparked something transformative in me and I will come back to it several times in the future.
"And I decide, now, in this moment, that I want it; I want this body. I want to inhabit her, enjoy her, care for her, and defend her in this world. And I no longer want to be yet another voice telling her she’s disgusting or embarrassing or inadequate or too much. I want to be one of those arresting voices of love and compassion, to offer her a space where she can go to restore, to feel safe, to grow."
WOW.
This book is profound, gut-wrenching, and transformative. Evanna's warning at the beginning of the book is true, the book focused about 80 or 90% of it on the eating disorder aspects. It is very graphic what Evanna went through. A good part of the book, and that I enjoyed, is that Evanna does not mention weights or calories or any of those things. As she says, eating disorders feed on the "achievements" and on measuring against other people. Learning how much other people weigh, especially at the lowest point of their battle, is not empathic, it is competitive. And it is not helpful to anyone. I particularly enjoyed how Evanna explains her journey and shows that healing is not linear, but a series of battles and fights, up and downs, wins and losses.
This book is definitely not good for people who struggle with eating disorders, especially anorexia or bulimia. Be careful of Evanna's first Author's Note, she is being very sincere and direct in her warnings.
Overall, I loved this book. I truly did. And I think it sparked something transformative in me and I will come back to it several times in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, and Vomit
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Gaslighting