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A review by angel_kiiss
13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl by Mona Awad
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
“13 ways to not be a nihilistic fat girl,” it should be called.
In the beginning, the girl is a fat girl second and character first. A fat girl with deep and complex wants and needs outside of being fat, even if her weight is a significant aspect of the characterization. In the, let’s call, the second half of the book, it takes a turn as it covers the adulthood of a depressed young woman, with an eating disorder and violently negative view of herself and other women.
The beginning is layered and indie-feeling, and I initially thought it would cover 13 different stories about 13 different girls. However, it becomes clear that it is just covering the life of one girl from preteen to adulthood and her struggles with weight.
Chapter 14 might be considered fatphobic, but I guess it’s up to the interpretation of character as writer identity or character motif deliverer. For me personally, it felt a bit much - for one fat girl to body shame the other women around her and make internal comments about their appearance. With that in mind, there had been an unusual amount of describing fat as obese, and associating obese with fatphobic writing by tropes - her so many chins, the comically large fat girls, etc.
I imagine, however, that this could be the projection of our main character, otherwise, it is an unfortunate reflection of the author Mona Awad, who is not fat herself and may prescribe to the harmful rhetoric that has come before her for describing fat people. I would have suggested she reevaluate using some of the caustic thoughts and self-prejudices of a fat person before writing a book about teen and coming of age girls who are fat and how that affects them
There are numerous times where the protagonist slut-shames other girls who are skinnier than her, but I feel that’s just a projection of the protagonist’s own insecurities so I wouldn’t take it at face value initially.
I, personally, lost interest as the “fat girl” got older and her life evolved from a teenage Sundance movie to a downward spiral of failing to find happiness. But it picks up in the end and I think it is actually a really good commentary on weight loss and the “weight loss industry” as our girl struggles to lose weight after doing everything she is “supposed” to do. There’s a subtle-not-subtle commentary around how the industry pushes “work out more” and “eat less” yet women were still struggling to see results because that’s not actually a healthy way to live.
In the beginning, the girl is a fat girl second and character first. A fat girl with deep and complex wants and needs outside of being fat, even if her weight is a significant aspect of the characterization. In the, let’s call, the second half of the book, it takes a turn as it covers the adulthood of a depressed young woman, with an eating disorder and violently negative view of herself and other women.
The beginning is layered and indie-feeling, and I initially thought it would cover 13 different stories about 13 different girls. However, it becomes clear that it is just covering the life of one girl from preteen to adulthood and her struggles with weight.
Chapter 14 might be considered fatphobic, but I guess it’s up to the interpretation of character as writer identity or character motif deliverer. For me personally, it felt a bit much - for one fat girl to body shame the other women around her and make internal comments about their appearance. With that in mind, there had been an unusual amount of describing fat as obese, and associating obese with fatphobic writing by tropes - her so many chins, the comically large fat girls, etc.
I imagine, however, that this could be the projection of our main character, otherwise, it is an unfortunate reflection of the author Mona Awad, who is not fat herself and may prescribe to the harmful rhetoric that has come before her for describing fat people. I would have suggested she reevaluate using some of the caustic thoughts and self-prejudices of a fat person before writing a book about teen and coming of age girls who are fat and how that affects them
There are numerous times where the protagonist slut-shames other girls who are skinnier than her, but I feel that’s just a projection of the protagonist’s own insecurities so I wouldn’t take it at face value initially.
I, personally, lost interest as the “fat girl” got older and her life evolved from a teenage Sundance movie to a downward spiral of failing to find happiness. But it picks up in the end and I think it is actually a really good commentary on weight loss and the “weight loss industry” as our girl struggles to lose weight after doing everything she is “supposed” to do. There’s a subtle-not-subtle commentary around how the industry pushes “work out more” and “eat less” yet women were still struggling to see results because that’s not actually a healthy way to live.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Eating disorder, and Fatphobia
Moderate: Ableism, Cursing, and Sexual content
Minor: Addiction and Death of parent