A review by archaena
The Opposite of Butterfly Hunting: The Tragedy and The Glory of Growing Up by Evanna Lynch
5.0
I'm so glad I read this vibrant, heartfelt, and funny (much funnier than you'd expect given the subject matter, so long as you enjoy wry and ironic humor) memoir about living through an eating disorder, debuting in the arts as a beloved Harry Potter character, and learning to care for one's mind and body by pursuing one's dreams. The audiobook is beautifully narrated by the author.
Her discussion of anorexia is likely to be triggering to those newly recovering from an eating disorder, not because she dwells on the mechanics of avoiding eating (she conspicuously omits calorie counts and the like) but because she pulls you into the obsessive and hypercritical thought patterns that continue long after the harmful behaviors have been brought to heal. For this reason, I would highly recommend it for loved ones and clinicians hoping to better understand what an eating disorder is like and to help nourish dreams and self-expression rather than bodies alone. I would more tentatively recommend it to people in the later stages of recovery, once non-restrictive coping strategies are firmly in place, to see a realistic and affirming picture of what life looks like on the other side.
What I was most struck by was that eating disorders act as a form of anxiety disorder with the obsessiveness of OCD and the sense of inadequacy of my own social anxiety and above all the desire to control one's own life in the face of an unpredictable world and society, at the cost of any detriment to one's health and relationships. And that it is those very relationships that provide the means of recovery, from the desperate love of parents searching for treatment (shoutout to Evanna's mum), to the acceptance of a therapist and a correspondence with a favorite author, to the guidance of mentors and the commiseration and comeraderie of friends. And finally and most importantly - finding love, or at least friendship, with oneself.
I hope for her own sake that Evanna doesn't read the comments anymore, but if you do, all my love to you, your mother and your therapist for bringing you to the point where you could write this book. I look forward to listening to your podcast!
PS. Surely the opposite of butterfly hunting is raising caterpillars - caring for squishy ungainly little bodies until they are able to assume their beautiful adult form and take flight!
Her discussion of anorexia is likely to be triggering to those newly recovering from an eating disorder, not because she dwells on the mechanics of avoiding eating (she conspicuously omits calorie counts and the like) but because she pulls you into the obsessive and hypercritical thought patterns that continue long after the harmful behaviors have been brought to heal. For this reason, I would highly recommend it for loved ones and clinicians hoping to better understand what an eating disorder is like and to help nourish dreams and self-expression rather than bodies alone. I would more tentatively recommend it to people in the later stages of recovery, once non-restrictive coping strategies are firmly in place, to see a realistic and affirming picture of what life looks like on the other side.
What I was most struck by was that eating disorders act as a form of anxiety disorder with the obsessiveness of OCD and the sense of inadequacy of my own social anxiety and above all the desire to control one's own life in the face of an unpredictable world and society, at the cost of any detriment to one's health and relationships. And that it is those very relationships that provide the means of recovery, from the desperate love of parents searching for treatment (shoutout to Evanna's mum), to the acceptance of a therapist and a correspondence with a favorite author, to the guidance of mentors and the commiseration and comeraderie of friends. And finally and most importantly - finding love, or at least friendship, with oneself.
I hope for her own sake that Evanna doesn't read the comments anymore, but if you do, all my love to you, your mother and your therapist for bringing you to the point where you could write this book. I look forward to listening to your podcast!
PS. Surely the opposite of butterfly hunting is raising caterpillars - caring for squishy ungainly little bodies until they are able to assume their beautiful adult form and take flight!