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A review by mandyherbet
Stranger Here: How Weight-Loss Surgery Transformed My Body and Messed with My Head by Jen Larsen
3.0
Jen Larsen used to weigh over 300lbs. One day, she decided that weight loss surgery was the only way she was going to lose weight and start living her life, because obviously everything would be fixed by losing weight. Stranger Here tells the story of her weight loss journey and how she came to realise that being thin didn't fix everything.
Reading this was like sitting down with a friend over a bottle of wine and listening to them unload - very easy to read but frustrating all the same, because you want to put your hands on her shoulders and shake her throughout her journey. I didn't get a massive 'journey' feel to this book either - it's more like the story of how she decided to have the surgery without finding out very much because dieting was too frigging hard and boring, didn't listen to their advice on how to eat and still probably doesn't listen to it. I'm surprised she doesn't actually have massive health problems. I didn't get much of a sense of an 'aha' moment or turning point and I kinda felt like Jen would be that friend who frustrates you but you love all the same.
That said, there is some wonderful writing and I highlighted quite a few passages that were just beautiful, passages about body image and how you can feel so uncomfortable in your own skin. I just felt as if this was more a brain dump than a carefully crafted memoir.
Reading this was like sitting down with a friend over a bottle of wine and listening to them unload - very easy to read but frustrating all the same, because you want to put your hands on her shoulders and shake her throughout her journey. I didn't get a massive 'journey' feel to this book either - it's more like the story of how she decided to have the surgery without finding out very much because dieting was too frigging hard and boring, didn't listen to their advice on how to eat and still probably doesn't listen to it. I'm surprised she doesn't actually have massive health problems. I didn't get much of a sense of an 'aha' moment or turning point and I kinda felt like Jen would be that friend who frustrates you but you love all the same.
That said, there is some wonderful writing and I highlighted quite a few passages that were just beautiful, passages about body image and how you can feel so uncomfortable in your own skin. I just felt as if this was more a brain dump than a carefully crafted memoir.