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This fat girl approves
Penguin Books Canada
February 23, 2016
224
Growing up in the suburban hell of Misery Saga (a.k.a. Mississauga), Lizzie has never liked the way she looks—even though her best friend Mel says she’s the pretty one. She starts dating guys online, but she’s afraid to send pictures, even when her skinny friend China does her makeup: she knows no one would want her if they could really see her. So she starts to lose. With punishing drive, she counts almonds consumed, miles logged, pounds dropped. She fights her way into coveted dresses. She grows up and gets thin, navigating double-edged validation from her mother, her friends, her husband, her reflection in the mirror. But no matter how much she loses, will she ever see herself as anything other than a fat girl?
In her brilliant, hilarious, and at times shocking debut, Mona Awad simultaneously skewers the body image-obsessed culture that tells women they have no value outside their physical appearance, and delivers a tender and moving depiction of a lovably difficult young woman whose life is hijacked by her struggle to conform. As caustically funny as it is heartbreaking,13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl introduces a vital new voice in fiction
This Fat Girl Approves
13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl by Mona Awad is a book that I wish I had when I was 21 and obsessing about my weight and everything else in life. I am not sure I can really express into words how good this book is but I will do my best. In short it’s about Elizabeth and her life and battle with her weight from her teen years to adulthood. You get a glimpse of some of the men in her life’s point of view as well and how they really feel. It was an interesting read, me being a “fat girl” myself I didn’t have high hopes for the book (most books like this are just not that good) but the dark humor and realistic point of view through the book were amazing.
It gives a realistic view of how some girls that are overweight feel about themselves; even after they achieve their goal weight. While at the same time showing the other side of how the significant others and friends to those same girls view them as well. This damn book had me all in my feelings!
My favorite part of this book is how it is written. You are essentially reading short stories at different points in Elizabeth’s life story. It took me two chapters to catch on but when I did it was mind blowing and I thought why don’t more authors do this?
I am sure you all get the point by now I love everything about this book and I highly recommend it.
