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A review by mezzarella
Milk Fed by Melissa Broder
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Milk fed is a novel unmatched in its honesty, wit, and realism. This was my first book by Melissa Broder, whose words left me hungry for another story of Milk fed's literary level and uncompromising matter-of-factness. The story centers around a 24 year old woman who has replaced Judaism with the compulsive religion of remaining underfed. Rachel struggles with the relationship she has with her mother and decides to set boundaries after prompting from her therapist. At her core, Rachel is unhappy both with her body and purpose. When she is challenged by the voluptuous and cheerful Miriam, Rachel begins to allow herself to give into her spiritual and literal cravings. A light take on the enemies to lovers trope and an even greater take on literary fiction, this story revels in character's faults and weaknesses.
As a person who has had a complicated past with family and body issues, Rachel's story was incredibly compelling and real. Her neurosis surrounding rituals around food was raw and relatable to me as a reader. I had also dealt with the crises that comes with having more than the average amount of food in front of my plate, or determining how many granola bars I could ration before others began to notice. The shame Rachel has for her body and also her disorder was fascinating to read as they clearly fed off each other. And at the center of unlearning and learning the shame of over and under eating was Rachel's clear hunger for Miriam. Rachel's sexual desires are masterfully paralleled with her real sense of hunger. Where Rachel is underfed and critical, Miriam is fat and positively minded. These two personalities clash beautifully with each other in their differences, not only in food and body image, but also their Jewish beliefs.
As a person who has had a complicated past with family and body issues, Rachel's story was incredibly compelling and real. Her neurosis surrounding rituals around food was raw and relatable to me as a reader. I had also dealt with the crises that comes with having more than the average amount of food in front of my plate, or determining how many granola bars I could ration before others began to notice. The shame Rachel has for her body and also her disorder was fascinating to read as they clearly fed off each other. And at the center of unlearning and learning the shame of over and under eating was Rachel's clear hunger for Miriam. Rachel's sexual desires are masterfully paralleled with her real sense of hunger. Where Rachel is underfed and critical, Miriam is fat and positively minded. These two personalities clash beautifully with each other in their differences, not only in food and body image, but also their Jewish beliefs.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Religious bigotry