A review by tonjeh
13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl by Mona Awad

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Holy shit this was the most random but brilliant read of 2024. As someone who was once very overweight and who’s had issues with food for as long as I can remember the prose of this book was like reading my own once distorted thoughts about food and body image. The paranoia, the constant need for control, the incessant comparison with other ‘more perfect’ women , the severe weight loss yet you’ve never felt more miserable, the constant worry of gaining all that dreadful weight back up again by simply looking at a fast food menu once... in short I’ve never read such a perfect depiction of the self obsession you get caught up in once you put all your value into looking a certain way. Just… wow. This is one of those books you wish you could read for the first time, again. I’m not saying it’s not disgusting and challenging to read at times; but it’s certainly worth it for the experience of having read something like it. It was a challenging but thought provoking reading experience. Highly recommend it if you’ve struggled with your self image and/or weight at any point in your life