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kittalia 's review for:
Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes
by Chris Crutcher
When Eric was fat and Sarah Byrnes was horribly scarred, the only friends they had were each other. Now Eric 'Moby' Calhoune has discovered swimming and leaned up a bit, but Sarah Byrnes has gone from bad to worse—a mental break has left her in a hospital ward, awake but unable (or unwilling) to speak. As Eric navigates tough questions at school and searches for answers to help Sarah Byrnes, a complex tale of trials, trust, and friendship unfolds. The book is well organized—it jumps easily between past and present, juggling multiple plot lines, and brings everything together into a cohesive whole. There are exciting moments in the book, especially near the end, and interesting moments throughout. The main character is complex, interesting, and well-written. Unfortunately, I couldn’t say the same about the side characters; many of them felt like one-note characters, crafted to serve a role in the plot and theme. And speaking of theme, there was a lot of it. Some of it I agreed with, some I disagreed, but even the parts I agreed with sometimes felt shoved down my throat. Many of the villainous characters were completely one-sided, and many of the good characters were only explored as they related to the theme (I'm looking at Jody). The ending tied up nicely, but it almost felt a little bit too perfect to be real. That being said, I recommend this to people who are interested in heavy topics, but still want humor throughout and a happy ending.