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wollstonecrafty's review against another edition
i would reiterate other reviewers & recommend that you be very careful in reading this based on your personal relationship wrt to disordered eating/body image, but like. this is not at all a pro-ana book like other people seem to think. it's not bad to discuss these topics guys!! i'm suspicious of any media that essentializes"women's pain" but clarke mostly avoided this, preferring to discuss how illness and trauma manifests THROUGH the body rather than BECAUSE of the ("female") body. most of the essentializing occurs paratextually in the selected reviews and promotional material. she also did an admirable job of not just layering all the buzzword elements (ED/families/sisters/critique of pop and diet feminism/sexuality/twins/bodies) but twining them together --- for an exploration of what kind of harm in interpersonal relationships you can heal and mutually repair from, provided people take responsibility VS. what you can't and shouldn't forgive.
i had recently read [b:We Have Always Lived in the Castle|89724|We Have Always Lived in the Castle|Shirley Jackson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1415357189l/89724._SX50_.jpg|847007] and rose's ironic, almost childish exclamations ("i miss him immediately! i do!" "'yes i am, yum!' i do so like to please these women. i am their most amenable anorectic") found commonality with merricat's internal attempts to placate herself and her sister, reassure them of their normalcy. just swap teen murderess with closeted lesbian with an eating disorder!
weaker though, was how many animal metaphor interludes/"scientists say" segments/historical snippets clarke peppered throughout the text. i wanted to send her a strongly worded letter like i may not have an MFA but i'm pretty sure you don't need these little bits to contribute atmosphere, the narrative is already intense. it drags your text into YA quirky territory at its worst, and if you can deliver emotional payoff with just the narrative, why interject that a group of dolphins is called a pod for some pithy attempt at profundity? also one of the reviews on the back cover misspelled clarke's name which means thank you editorial assistant at harper but i have your job now. i'll be relocating to brooklyn on monday.
i had recently read [b:We Have Always Lived in the Castle|89724|We Have Always Lived in the Castle|Shirley Jackson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1415357189l/89724._SX50_.jpg|847007] and rose's ironic, almost childish exclamations ("i miss him immediately! i do!" "'yes i am, yum!' i do so like to please these women. i am their most amenable anorectic") found commonality with merricat's internal attempts to placate herself and her sister, reassure them of their normalcy. just swap teen murderess with closeted lesbian with an eating disorder!
weaker though, was how many animal metaphor interludes/"scientists say" segments/historical snippets clarke peppered throughout the text. i wanted to send her a strongly worded letter like i may not have an MFA but i'm pretty sure you don't need these little bits to contribute atmosphere, the narrative is already intense. it drags your text into YA quirky territory at its worst, and if you can deliver emotional payoff with just the narrative, why interject that a group of dolphins is called a pod for some pithy attempt at profundity? also one of the reviews on the back cover misspelled clarke's name which means thank you editorial assistant at harper but i have your job now. i'll be relocating to brooklyn on monday.
kallmekirby's review against another edition
5.0
***TW for eating disorders, sexual abuse, physical abuse
Okay, so unlike a lot of the reviews I've seen I (someone with a past eating disorder) am still giving it five stars because of the way the ending was handled. I think this book portrayed things in a brutally honest way and didn't sugar coat anything. That being said, I definitely see how this book could be/likely would be triggering for someone still in their eating disorder in early recovery. So read with caution if you've ever struggled with "food issues"
Okay, so unlike a lot of the reviews I've seen I (someone with a past eating disorder) am still giving it five stars because of the way the ending was handled. I think this book portrayed things in a brutally honest way and didn't sugar coat anything. That being said, I definitely see how this book could be/likely would be triggering for someone still in their eating disorder in early recovery. So read with caution if you've ever struggled with "food issues"
joan_anne's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars. I wanted to read this as it appeared on a fiction list of books depicting cult like behaviors. There were no cult behaviors. I’m on the fence of thinking it glorifies earring disorders, which, I can’t endorse a book that does this. It should come with a trigger warning. Too many heavy and deep diet culture concepts without enough discussion or resolution. As a fiction book, it seemed the first 3/4 was the introduction and the last 1/4 was the story. It was over before it really started. If there were a sequel coming, that’d be the book I wished was this one.
babyfacedoldsoul's review against another edition
I could not invest in these characters.
kyradalea's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kdahlo's review against another edition
5.0
A stylish and disturbing book featuring a lot of terrifying eating disorders. I was reading this while holding my 6 month old daughter and sometimes it felt nearly radioactive, like I didn't want to let it touch her. Powerful writing, darkly funny in places. Darkly dark in others, but altogether really moving.
leoroycote's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lastpaige111's review against another edition
4.0
Great writing as in I felt the characters’ madness. The heavy side far outweighed the rest …
sunnyk13's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
xosarahirene's review against another edition
4.0
This is a tough read, especially for those who have experienced ED firsthand, but includes many layers of examining mental health that make this a compelling story. Sisterhood, sexuality, trauma, abuse, self image, what constitutes health, and acceptance of identity.