nikkihrose's review against another edition
3.0
Walton definitely steps outside the typical boundary of Young Adult novel when she dives into the mind of teenager Dell Turner, a troubled girl struggling with a family that is falling apart, an eating disorder, being abandoned by friends, being constantly bullied, and overall trying to make it seem like she is above it all – or more so, that she cannot be bothered by the thoughts, words, and snickers of those around her. But she does. Dell does care. And it hurts her. Every. Single. Time.
Walton writes this novel as a way to spread awareness, and she does a fantastic job at just that. A chance to see the ramifications words can have in person, online, and the the indirect impact that our actions have on others even when not intended. Definitely a novel to read to understand the inner workings of a teenage mind, but also one to experience to understand the world that we currently live in today.
Walton writes this novel as a way to spread awareness, and she does a fantastic job at just that. A chance to see the ramifications words can have in person, online, and the the indirect impact that our actions have on others even when not intended. Definitely a novel to read to understand the inner workings of a teenage mind, but also one to experience to understand the world that we currently live in today.
pikasqueaks's review against another edition
1.0
Books involving fat protagonists are an incredibly hard sell for me. I've never read a YA book that got it right without sensationalizing it, or grossly exaggerating some of the more "disgusting" details just for shock value. Empty's one of those books, and it made me vaguely uncomfortable the entire time I was reading it. Not the "good" sort of uncomfortable, where you want to keep reading and be unsettled, but the bad kind of uncomfortable, where you can tell you're reading a book by someone who doesn't get it. If you spent your teenage years (or any years) being fat, I think you might understand. The way it's portrayed across the board is frustrating and makes you wonder if the people responsible have ever spent any time with someone that's fat.
It's hard not to look at books a little personally when they're on things that you've experienced. For me, Empty didn't feel real. At all. Dell's attitude and character was completely wrapped in the the fact that she'd gone from a size 10 to a size 24 in a short time, and her every waking second was consumed by the experience of being fat. There seems to be nothing else in Dell's life other than her god-awful attitude, her shallow emotions, and oh, right she can sing. Because Dell fits right into the mold of countless other weak YA books in which the character is defined by two things:
1. Their "issue"
2. Their one hobby
It happens in books all the time, and it's something I've grown wary of over the years. It feels like they're produced on an assembly line. Take some issue that teenagers can relate to, and pick one thing they can be good at. Mix together some emotions, and you've got a protagonist who doesn't reflect either with any accuracy. The "issue" seems wooden, and the "hobby" comes off planned, expected even. Teens are not defined by their issues, and I wish that books would stop letting this happen. They're not defined by their one or two hobbies (unless those hobbies are really that they're elite gymnasts or Olympic-level athletes, and even then, Lauren Tanner liked scheming as much as she likes gymnastics).
Dell has gained a significant amount of weight, and her parents are horrible to her. Dad abandoned her, and Mom is more interested in her pills than her daughter. But they both have plenty of time to snap at their daughter and remind her that she's fat. Really, everyone is horrible to her. Being fat has stripped all of Dell's self-confidence, her voice, her ability to control her emotions and her physical nature. Being fat takes up all of Dell's life and time, being fat takes up every page of this book. It takes up emotional space, it takes up all of the conversations she has, it weighs on Dell's mind every second of every day -- and that's not supposed to be a cute joke about being fat. There is nothing to her character the doesn't revolve around it, and we're reminded all the time.
That's not how being fat works. Even for a teenage girl. It's like the book is about Dell's fat, rather than Dell. I'm not griping because it's not sending the right "message" to readers, I'm bothered because it's an inauthentic portrayal of a young girl that creates a wall between the character and the reader. If K.M. Walton wanted to tell the story of a bullied, misunderstood, broken young girl as she states in her saccharine author's note, she failed. She told a story about a teenager's fat body, and how it ruined everything.
We have a plot to the story that will remind the avid YA reader of several other books that came first. Dell is sexually assaulted by her friend's boyfriend. The second people find out, they turn their bully radar to her and make her life a living hell. To that note, what I did like about this book is that we are reminded, finally, that survivors of these types of assault are not just one type of person -- despite what TV and movies and other books would like us to believe, it happens to any kind of person, not just "the beautiful people." I think that if the author had focused more on that than the other things I've talked about, this book would have been so much stronger. If Dell was given a character, rather than an issue, it could have worked.
As much as that might have been important for the author to get out in the open, it's hidden under miles of things that make Dell, and the story, completely unlikable. There's a talent showcase, Dell's supposed to sing for it. Her best friend's on the verge of ditching her for the popular crowd. Because we are firmly in YA land, where this happens to every other girl. It's not just Dell whose character suffers. Her best friend is portrayed as weak-minded and vapid, like so many other "best friends" before her.
Empty is at its core, a story that pulls the melodramatic bits and pieces from other books, and attempts to make them its own. This can work. Unfortunately, the writing is not strong enough to make this one stand out, the wooden characters are effortlessly forgettable, and the ending? Yeah, the title is rather accurate.
It's hard not to look at books a little personally when they're on things that you've experienced. For me, Empty didn't feel real. At all. Dell's attitude and character was completely wrapped in the the fact that she'd gone from a size 10 to a size 24 in a short time, and her every waking second was consumed by the experience of being fat. There seems to be nothing else in Dell's life other than her god-awful attitude, her shallow emotions, and oh, right she can sing. Because Dell fits right into the mold of countless other weak YA books in which the character is defined by two things:
1. Their "issue"
2. Their one hobby
It happens in books all the time, and it's something I've grown wary of over the years. It feels like they're produced on an assembly line. Take some issue that teenagers can relate to, and pick one thing they can be good at. Mix together some emotions, and you've got a protagonist who doesn't reflect either with any accuracy. The "issue" seems wooden, and the "hobby" comes off planned, expected even. Teens are not defined by their issues, and I wish that books would stop letting this happen. They're not defined by their one or two hobbies (unless those hobbies are really that they're elite gymnasts or Olympic-level athletes, and even then, Lauren Tanner liked scheming as much as she likes gymnastics).
Dell has gained a significant amount of weight, and her parents are horrible to her. Dad abandoned her, and Mom is more interested in her pills than her daughter. But they both have plenty of time to snap at their daughter and remind her that she's fat. Really, everyone is horrible to her. Being fat has stripped all of Dell's self-confidence, her voice, her ability to control her emotions and her physical nature. Being fat takes up all of Dell's life and time, being fat takes up every page of this book. It takes up emotional space, it takes up all of the conversations she has, it weighs on Dell's mind every second of every day -- and that's not supposed to be a cute joke about being fat. There is nothing to her character the doesn't revolve around it, and we're reminded all the time.
That's not how being fat works. Even for a teenage girl. It's like the book is about Dell's fat, rather than Dell. I'm not griping because it's not sending the right "message" to readers, I'm bothered because it's an inauthentic portrayal of a young girl that creates a wall between the character and the reader. If K.M. Walton wanted to tell the story of a bullied, misunderstood, broken young girl as she states in her saccharine author's note, she failed. She told a story about a teenager's fat body, and how it ruined everything.
We have a plot to the story that will remind the avid YA reader of several other books that came first. Dell is sexually assaulted by her friend's boyfriend. The second people find out, they turn their bully radar to her and make her life a living hell. To that note, what I did like about this book is that we are reminded, finally, that survivors of these types of assault are not just one type of person -- despite what TV and movies and other books would like us to believe, it happens to any kind of person, not just "the beautiful people." I think that if the author had focused more on that than the other things I've talked about, this book would have been so much stronger. If Dell was given a character, rather than an issue, it could have worked.
As much as that might have been important for the author to get out in the open, it's hidden under miles of things that make Dell, and the story, completely unlikable. There's a talent showcase, Dell's supposed to sing for it. Her best friend's on the verge of ditching her for the popular crowd. Because we are firmly in YA land, where this happens to every other girl. It's not just Dell whose character suffers. Her best friend is portrayed as weak-minded and vapid, like so many other "best friends" before her.
Empty is at its core, a story that pulls the melodramatic bits and pieces from other books, and attempts to make them its own. This can work. Unfortunately, the writing is not strong enough to make this one stand out, the wooden characters are effortlessly forgettable, and the ending? Yeah, the title is rather accurate.
reisemel's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jen_robins87's review
Seriously if I could give this book negative stars I totally would. The constant reminder of Dell's fat was just stupid. It became the entire focus of the book. It really could've been written much better.
l_musto's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked but I wish there was an epilouge- I want to know who found her and if Meggie remembers her...
dawnreaderone's review against another edition
I'm unsure of my rating as of right now. I think this book was a great read until the last few pages. I had hoped for a different outcome for Dell. I think the ending was a cop out, and it should have ended with a different option. I am not sure I will let my daughter read this one, as I don't want her to think Dell's final decision is an acceptable one in any way. I cried because my heart broke for the little girl, and her feelings of aloneness. I just don't know what to think about this novel at this point. Its a good thing I read Cracked first instead of this one, otherwise I probably wouldn't have picked it up.
cocoaxreads_'s review
4.0
This book is so sad. I knew it was depressing, and its been so long since I've read any booka that left me heavy. It was good though.
I couldnt connect with the character but teenage me sure couls.
I couldnt connect with the character but teenage me sure couls.
tjlcody's review against another edition
5.0
...Well, hell. That was not the ending I was expecting.
Kudos to the author for bringing that out of nowhere and actually breaking away from the usual endings these kinds of books have.
Good book.
Kudos to the author for bringing that out of nowhere and actually breaking away from the usual endings these kinds of books have.
Good book.
heykellyjensen's review against another edition
Fair warning: I found this book insensitive, offensive, and sensational without making the point it intended to make.
No rating.
Dell's fat. 286 pounds, size 24 fat. This wasn't always the way though. It happened when her dad cheated on her mom with Donna, and her parents marriage fell apart. Mom's become a prescription drug abuser, sold the lovely house they once lived in, and now Dell, her mom, and toddler sister Meggie live in an apartment in the poor part of town. Mom works two jobs to make things happen.
Dell's fat. She reminds us of this. But this story is not about how the divorce impacts Dell. It's not about how her father's remarriage to the woman who tore apart her parent's relationship impacts Dell emotionally. It's not about how her mom's drug abuse impacts her. This is all about how Dell got to be a fat girl, and it's all about how being fat is her only defining quality. It is about her fat, not about her.
Dell's fat. This means everyone at school makes fun of her. It means that she's only got one friend, and that friend is kinda shitty. It means that she's asked by peers to moo and act like a sumo wrestler-cow for their entertainment because that's all the fat girl is -- entertainment. It means she's invited to parties not because she's being invited to have fun with classmates but so they can further humiliate her. So Brandon can take her upstairs and show her funny sumo wrestling videos on YouTube (since that's what kids do at parties -- they think of those funny fat people YouTube videos to show to fat people and haha, isn't it funny being fat?). It means
Dell's fat. That means she can't be on the softball team anymore because she's not in shape anymore. It means she can't work at the local day care where her sister goes everyday because "it's a little tight in here, Dell, and we wouldn't want it to be uncomfortable." It means that Dell doesn't believe she might have a good singing voice (ever notice how fat girls always have good singing voices, like that's their one redeeming quality?). It means that even when she has the chance at the talent show to dazzle the audience with her singing, she can't because there's no way she has a nice enough outfit to wear and there's no way anyone would want to hear the fat girl sing. But then, her bad-friend Cara convinces her to do it. To sing. To perform.
This is a book about Dell's body. Never about Dell. She is literally nothing more than her fat. Where there was incredible opportunity to delve into the emotional challenges of the things she was going through -- divorce, bullying, adjusting to an entirely new lifestyle -- instead, her body becomes the mode of message delivery.
Her coach cuts her from the team because she's fat. Never does the coach offer to help her through getting back into physical shape. Never does the coach step in and ask if Dell needs help. It's just a smooth cut. End of it. Because she's fat. The problem herein is that this is the one thing we know about Dell: she was an athlete. She loved to play. She puts up the defenses early on saying she did it because her dad loved her doing it and it made her happy to see him happy with her playing. So now that the one thing we ever get to know about Dell is taken from her because of her fat body, she is nothing more than a fat body.
Dell doesn't have friends because she's fat. She knows Cara is looking for other friends because ugh, hanging out with the fat girl is a drag. Here's the thing -- Dell is a drag because she is ONLY EVER A FAT GIRL. She's the victim of her tormenting only, only, ONLY because of her body. Which begs the question from me as a reader of what this school must look like. Is no one else fat at all? Is it just her? And how come no one ever stopped to get this girl help? I know bullying doesn't work that easily, but if mom was concerned about Dell's body (and she is -- she demeans her regularly about this), why does she continue buying crap food for her daughter to inhale?
When we get to the final chapter, when Dell is finally at her wit's end with being fat While it is utterly believable that she'd never seek help on her own -- that happens -- the fact the only thing she ever is and ever is tormented for is her fatness, her body is the medium of message deliver. It is the message in and of itself. It's not Dell. There is no Dell here. There's Dell's body, and for things to improve for anyone,
This is a one-dimensional, problematic book. There's no character development and no emotional arc. While it's unbelievable that The writing is also weak and at times utterly sensational. We get the blow-by-blow of how much food Dell's consuming, how it makes her feel inside, and how eating the food happens (when things drip down her face, the way her mouth so thoughtfully catches it, and so forth). By focusing so much attention on the act of eating, the act of consuming, the act of growing and living with a fat, it sensationalizes the body. It makes the fatness an even more troubling message here.
This is one of the most problematic books I've read in a long time. Want a book about the challenges of dealing with parents going through a divorce and thus thrusting change within a main character's life? Kody Keplinger's A MIDSUMMER'S NIGHTMARE is one of the best. Want a book about being bullied because of fatness but where the character is actually a character and not just fat? Pick up Erin Jade Lange's BUTTER. This is a let down following Walton's debut, CRACKED, which handled bullying in such a thoughtful way and offered two fully-developed characters who were more than their situations.
Longer review here: http://www.stackedbooks.org/2013/01/empty-by-k-m-walton.html
No rating.
Dell's fat. 286 pounds, size 24 fat. This wasn't always the way though. It happened when her dad cheated on her mom with Donna, and her parents marriage fell apart. Mom's become a prescription drug abuser, sold the lovely house they once lived in, and now Dell, her mom, and toddler sister Meggie live in an apartment in the poor part of town. Mom works two jobs to make things happen.
Dell's fat. She reminds us of this. But this story is not about how the divorce impacts Dell. It's not about how her father's remarriage to the woman who tore apart her parent's relationship impacts Dell emotionally. It's not about how her mom's drug abuse impacts her. This is all about how Dell got to be a fat girl, and it's all about how being fat is her only defining quality. It is about her fat, not about her.
Dell's fat. This means everyone at school makes fun of her. It means that she's only got one friend, and that friend is kinda shitty. It means that she's asked by peers to moo and act like a sumo wrestler-cow for their entertainment because that's all the fat girl is -- entertainment. It means she's invited to parties not because she's being invited to have fun with classmates but so they can further humiliate her. So Brandon can take her upstairs and show her funny sumo wrestling videos on YouTube (since that's what kids do at parties -- they think of those funny fat people YouTube videos to show to fat people and haha, isn't it funny being fat?). It means
Spoiler
that then Brandon rapes her. It means that because she's fat, her voice is CHOKED UNDER THE FATNESS and she can't say no. So she takes it. It means that even though she is truly a victim, she never gets help because she never speaks up because she's fat. She's FAT.Dell's fat. That means she can't be on the softball team anymore because she's not in shape anymore. It means she can't work at the local day care where her sister goes everyday because "it's a little tight in here, Dell, and we wouldn't want it to be uncomfortable." It means that Dell doesn't believe she might have a good singing voice (ever notice how fat girls always have good singing voices, like that's their one redeeming quality?). It means that even when she has the chance at the talent show to dazzle the audience with her singing, she can't because there's no way she has a nice enough outfit to wear and there's no way anyone would want to hear the fat girl sing. But then, her bad-friend Cara convinces her to do it. To sing. To perform.
Spoiler
But before she does, Dell drugs herself on vicodin to forget the pain from a minor injury she got the other day, to forget the pain of being fat. She's teased still, but when she performs oh how does she impress her classmates. She SHOWS THEM she's more than fat. Until they moo at her and beg her to do the sumo wrestler cow thing, and she does it for them, right there on stage, after her performance. She then is taken home by Cara, pees herself (she's glad her size 24 pants have a lot of extra fabric to absorb it), and it's then she decides that she's going to kill herself. Because at least if she kills herself, everyone will feel sorry for how they treated the fat girl.This is a book about Dell's body. Never about Dell. She is literally nothing more than her fat. Where there was incredible opportunity to delve into the emotional challenges of the things she was going through -- divorce, bullying, adjusting to an entirely new lifestyle -- instead, her body becomes the mode of message delivery.
Her coach cuts her from the team because she's fat. Never does the coach offer to help her through getting back into physical shape. Never does the coach step in and ask if Dell needs help. It's just a smooth cut. End of it. Because she's fat. The problem herein is that this is the one thing we know about Dell: she was an athlete. She loved to play. She puts up the defenses early on saying she did it because her dad loved her doing it and it made her happy to see him happy with her playing. So now that the one thing we ever get to know about Dell is taken from her because of her fat body, she is nothing more than a fat body.
Dell doesn't have friends because she's fat. She knows Cara is looking for other friends because ugh, hanging out with the fat girl is a drag. Here's the thing -- Dell is a drag because she is ONLY EVER A FAT GIRL. She's the victim of her tormenting only, only, ONLY because of her body. Which begs the question from me as a reader of what this school must look like. Is no one else fat at all? Is it just her? And how come no one ever stopped to get this girl help? I know bullying doesn't work that easily, but if mom was concerned about Dell's body (and she is -- she demeans her regularly about this), why does she continue buying crap food for her daughter to inhale?
Spoiler
When she's raped, why does everyone believe Brandon was the one raped and not her? It's because she's the "fat bitch." Dell is a horrible victim and doesn't deserve any blame for what happened, but I do place blame in the fact this huge, life-altering, miserable experience is written so poorly and used ONLY AS A MEANS OF REMINDING US THAT DELL IS FAT AND TREATED AS NOTHING BUT A FAT BODY ABLE TO BE ABUSED. This isn't a life-altering, emotionally-ravaging, all-consuming thing that happens to her. It doesn't impact her except that it reminds her she's fat. That her body is worth shit. This isn't cool.When we get to the final chapter, when Dell is finally at her wit's end with being fat
Spoiler
she chooses to kill herself. Her body LITERALLY becomes a sacrifice for the message that bullying is bad. Because the only thing she is and ever was bullied for throughout the book was being fat. As such, to end the bullying and suffering and to show a lesson to her peers, she's got to kill herself. Remove the body from the equation all together. To make them feel bad they bullied the fat girl to death.Spoiler
it's gotta go.This is a one-dimensional, problematic book. There's no character development and no emotional arc. While it's unbelievable that
Spoiler
in any book about body issues, there's a magical turn around within the singular book, the way it was handled here was message-message-message, and that message is inherently problematic.Spoiler
And no matter what you say about fat books, you will and do always compare what fat is in the book to what fat is to you. As someone who has struggled with weight and as someone who has gone through PRECISELY what Dell does with her parents divorce, I was further appalled by her lack of agency and lack of being anything but a fat body.This is one of the most problematic books I've read in a long time. Want a book about the challenges of dealing with parents going through a divorce and thus thrusting change within a main character's life? Kody Keplinger's A MIDSUMMER'S NIGHTMARE is one of the best. Want a book about being bullied because of fatness but where the character is actually a character and not just fat? Pick up Erin Jade Lange's BUTTER. This is a let down following Walton's debut, CRACKED, which handled bullying in such a thoughtful way and offered two fully-developed characters who were more than their situations.
Longer review here: http://www.stackedbooks.org/2013/01/empty-by-k-m-walton.html
ecravens's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Toxic friendship, Sexual assault, Body shaming, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Eating disorder
Moderate: Addiction