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pipmulch 's review for:
The Book of Two Ways
by Jodi Picoult
challenging
emotional
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I typically enjoy Picoult and (unlike other reviews) enjoyed the Egyptology and physics rants. Maybe I’m just a dork. The structure was clever and engaging.
What nearly ruined the book for me was how the book discusses her daughter’s body. As a fat woman I was soooo disappointed that Meret’s arc ended with relief that her fatness was temporary.
I love Picoult books because of the immense research she invests into her characters. It seems like an oversight to not look into the nuances of fatphobia.
The discussion of Meret’s body and weight in general felt very…90s? I was shocked when I saw the publishing year tbh. The way fatphobia manifested in the late 2010s was distinctive and interesting and complicated. And that could have been manifested in Meret’s arc without altering the plot. Not to mention the “you’re not fat, you have fat” line. My eyes almost rolled out of my head.
Maybe the cringe is because Dawn is flawed? Maybe if I liked Dawn more as a character I could overlook this? But if we’re not gonna research modern fatphobia, just make Meret thin and use another trait as foreshadowing.
What nearly ruined the book for me was how the book discusses her daughter’s body. As a fat woman I was soooo disappointed that Meret’s arc ended with relief that her fatness was temporary.
I love Picoult books because of the immense research she invests into her characters. It seems like an oversight to not look into the nuances of fatphobia.
The discussion of Meret’s body and weight in general felt very…90s? I was shocked when I saw the publishing year tbh. The way fatphobia manifested in the late 2010s was distinctive and interesting and complicated. And that could have been manifested in Meret’s arc without altering the plot. Not to mention the “you’re not fat, you have fat” line. My eyes almost rolled out of my head.
Maybe the cringe is because Dawn is flawed? Maybe if I liked Dawn more as a character I could overlook this? But if we’re not gonna research modern fatphobia, just make Meret thin and use another trait as foreshadowing.