Review| 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl

Title: 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl

Author: Mona Award

Published: February 23rd, 2016

Born in Montreal, Mona Awad graduated from York University in Toronto where she received a degree in Master of Fine Arts in Fiction. She has worked as a freelance journalist as well as a bookseller of numerous book shops around the world. 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl is Mona Awad’s first novel.

Synopsis:

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? (Source: Goodreads Synopsis)

 Discussion

Who was my favourite character and why?

This wasn’t so much about who my favourite character was, but rather which character was seen as the most important part. There were points in this novel where I disliked the main character Lizzie, and other points where I felt sorry for her. The novel begins when Lizzie is in her teens and depicts her as an obese teenager that wishes more than anything she could be thin. This novel is composed of numerous short stories throughout Lizzie’s life ending with her being a calorie-obsessed, thin unhappy forty-year-old woman.

Were the characters relatable and/or believable?

This book definitely put me outside my comfort zone. Awad definitely made this novel realistic, so much so that it was uncomfortable to read at times. Reading about the struggles of Lizzie and her body image issue was quite sad, but also quite powerful.

Did the story keep you on the edge of your seat?

It was such an original story that I kept turning the pages to see what would happen next.

Something I would change about the novel?

Although this was an uncomfortable read, it is an important one, and I wouldn’t change anything about this novel.

Review:

Overall, I would give this novel 3 out of 5 tea mugs; an intriguing topic!

 And that is it for this review. Let me know what you plan on reading this month, I would love to know!

Until next time,

Emma

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