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talya_'s review against another edition
4.0
This book is different. I can honestly say I've never read anything like it before. It's strange too, because I never really knew what was happening and nothing is even explained too well.
The book starts out in what I thought was the third person, and talks about this boy named Mike. Except there's this strange voice in Mike's head that tells him to do certain things, makes him think certain things. It was then I realized that this book was actually told in the first person narrative, by this voice in Mike's head. Odd, yes? At first, Mike is freaked by this voice in his head. And then…not so much.
Mike is apparently a bit overweight because of his bad diet and lack of excersize. So this voice in his head tells him to work out. Run. And Mike does. He runs constantly, day and night and soon, he loses weight. He's fit and lean. Different than before. Or at least that's what he sees. To everyone else, he looks sickly skinny and gaunt, and it seems he's falling apart. But this voice in Mike's head tells him that everyone is jealous of him. That he needs to keep working out to be stronger. Better.
So Mike doesn't listen to anyone except this voice in his head. This voice that's convincing him to talk to this girl named Amber, this girl who convinces him to stop eating because it will make him fat. So Mike does this. He stops eating, keeps excersizing, and allows the voice in his head to influence what he does. That is, until his mother admits him to a hospital where he learns that he has an eating disorder. But Mile doesnt believe this. He's not too thin, he doesn't have a disorder-- he's strong and just doesn't like eating.
This book was a bit haunting, and definitely causes one to think. When first reading the book, I didn't know what to think of this voice in Mike's head. I thought he wanted what was best for Mike. I thought he was trying to help Mike. But soon, I realized that this voice was insane and I began to wonder if Mike had multiple personalities or something. And once I realized that the voice was insane, I couldn't out the book down. I just HAD to keep reading and I HAD too see what it was and why. The book grips you that way. Your curiosity is so out of control that you feel the burning desire to read to the very last page. I wasn't too happy with the ending, however, because it seemed to abrupt and still left a lot a questions to be answered. But that is the whole point. To keep you thinking about it even as you turn the last page.
The book wasn't perfect, but it certainly wasn't bad either, and it sheds light on a guy having anorexia, something that some people never believed was possible.
The book starts out in what I thought was the third person, and talks about this boy named Mike. Except there's this strange voice in Mike's head that tells him to do certain things, makes him think certain things. It was then I realized that this book was actually told in the first person narrative, by this voice in Mike's head. Odd, yes? At first, Mike is freaked by this voice in his head. And then…not so much.
Mike is apparently a bit overweight because of his bad diet and lack of excersize. So this voice in his head tells him to work out. Run. And Mike does. He runs constantly, day and night and soon, he loses weight. He's fit and lean. Different than before. Or at least that's what he sees. To everyone else, he looks sickly skinny and gaunt, and it seems he's falling apart. But this voice in Mike's head tells him that everyone is jealous of him. That he needs to keep working out to be stronger. Better.
So Mike doesn't listen to anyone except this voice in his head. This voice that's convincing him to talk to this girl named Amber, this girl who convinces him to stop eating because it will make him fat. So Mike does this. He stops eating, keeps excersizing, and allows the voice in his head to influence what he does. That is, until his mother admits him to a hospital where he learns that he has an eating disorder. But Mile doesnt believe this. He's not too thin, he doesn't have a disorder-- he's strong and just doesn't like eating.
This book was a bit haunting, and definitely causes one to think. When first reading the book, I didn't know what to think of this voice in Mike's head. I thought he wanted what was best for Mike. I thought he was trying to help Mike. But soon, I realized that this voice was insane and I began to wonder if Mike had multiple personalities or something. And once I realized that the voice was insane, I couldn't out the book down. I just HAD to keep reading and I HAD too see what it was and why. The book grips you that way. Your curiosity is so out of control that you feel the burning desire to read to the very last page. I wasn't too happy with the ending, however, because it seemed to abrupt and still left a lot a questions to be answered. But that is the whole point. To keep you thinking about it even as you turn the last page.
The book wasn't perfect, but it certainly wasn't bad either, and it sheds light on a guy having anorexia, something that some people never believed was possible.
beastreader's review against another edition
3.0
Mike is a star baseball player at his high school. He has a best friend and he is a good student. However the one thing he lacks a little is in the looks department. Not to say that Mike is fat but he is a little overweight. Things go downhill for Mike when his dad leaves for another woman and his mom closes herself off from Mike.
Mike has a voice inside his head screaming at him to be heard. Mike ignores the voice until he can no longer avoid it. This is when things go downhill quickly for Mike.
I had no clue what the subject matter of this book was about. So I was surprised when I learned that it was about eating disorders. A subject matter that I don’t think there is enough light shed on it. It is a sad disorder but not one that can not be beat and have a happy ending. Luckily I have never struggled with this problem.
In this book the author takes Mike as the person struggling. Yes, males can also have this problem. As the author learned and points out that about 10 million people in the US have this problem and 10 percent of them are male.
In this book the “disease” is the voice and narrator. I thought this was a good twist to helping to tell this story. I really hated the “voice”. I found the “voice” to be abrasive and it did not care what harm and bad choices it gave to Mike. Very scary that what can start out as just a diet or minor issue can blow up very fast into a major situation.
Mike has a voice inside his head screaming at him to be heard. Mike ignores the voice until he can no longer avoid it. This is when things go downhill quickly for Mike.
I had no clue what the subject matter of this book was about. So I was surprised when I learned that it was about eating disorders. A subject matter that I don’t think there is enough light shed on it. It is a sad disorder but not one that can not be beat and have a happy ending. Luckily I have never struggled with this problem.
In this book the author takes Mike as the person struggling. Yes, males can also have this problem. As the author learned and points out that about 10 million people in the US have this problem and 10 percent of them are male.
In this book the “disease” is the voice and narrator. I thought this was a good twist to helping to tell this story. I really hated the “voice”. I found the “voice” to be abrasive and it did not care what harm and bad choices it gave to Mike. Very scary that what can start out as just a diet or minor issue can blow up very fast into a major situation.
weweresotired's review against another edition
4.0
See more reviews at The Best Books Ever!
I didn't entirely know what I was getting into when I started reading this book -- the blurb on the back didn't mention the eating disorder, so the first few chapters were very eerie and creepy as I tried to fully understand what's going on. (More on that in a minute.) While I think it was actually really effective to not know precisely what the book's plot was, it's kind of hard to review this book without revealing this aspect. (Additionally, with such a sensitive subject matter, I do think readers should be aware before-hand in case it's a topic that could be upsetting to them.)
So, like I said, the beginning of this book is told in a very creepy, almost surreal manner. Our narrator speaks in the first person as we meet Mike and his best friend Tamio, but it's clear that the narrator isn't a third person in the friendship. Instead, as the story goes on, the narrator starts giving suggestions and instructions to Mike. Go to the gym, buy a mirror, don't eat that. The narrator, it turns out, is his anorexia, the voice in the back of his head that tells him he's not thin enough, not strong enough, not good enough. We follow Mike as he first starts hearing this voice during a particularly tumultuous time in his life, through the escalation of his eating disorder and the eventual aftermath.
The choice to essentially have Mike's anorexia narrate the story was a bold one. The author makes some stylistic choices that were a bit difficult to get used to at first, but I think they worked when looking at the "big picture" of the story. For example, a lot of the dialogue is written in a script-like format. (as in: Mike: "blah blah blah" / Tamio: "Blah blah blah!") It was a different stylistic choice, one that I don't know how well I understand, but which made for interesting reading. Having the villain, essentially, narrate the story gave things an interesting perspective. Mike doesn't have the self awareness for most of the story to know exactly what's controlling him and to understand how he's hurting himself, and the narrator doesn't care and really sees Mike's struggle as "worth it" to perfect himself.
There were times when this book was very hard to read, for multiple reasons. First, because the reader -- and the other people in Mike's life -- see what he's doing to himself, but his judgment is too clouded to realize it or believe it. It's sad and sobering to see what Mike goes through, and to read about the negative thoughts he experiences all the time. Second, I think it's hard for anyone to live in today's culture without coming out with some really negative body image issues. A lot of the things that the voice in Mike's head says to him -- he has to master the chaos in his life, master his body, get fitter, get stronger; his friends and family aren't there for him, no one loves him, look at how gross you look, etc. -- are things that I and a lot of people I know have thought, no matter how much we know better. It's a very "there but for the grace of God go I" kind of thing, for me.
I think this is an important book to read, as it pretty directly tackles a very pressing, timely topic, but readers should be aware that it could be a very triggering read for individuals who are dealing with/have dealt with an eating disorder, have body image issues, etc. It would be a very good book for someone of any age who perhaps has a friend or loved one dealing with an eating disorder, or who wants to understand more about what it may be like for someone in that situation.
I didn't entirely know what I was getting into when I started reading this book -- the blurb on the back didn't mention the eating disorder, so the first few chapters were very eerie and creepy as I tried to fully understand what's going on. (More on that in a minute.) While I think it was actually really effective to not know precisely what the book's plot was, it's kind of hard to review this book without revealing this aspect. (Additionally, with such a sensitive subject matter, I do think readers should be aware before-hand in case it's a topic that could be upsetting to them.)
So, like I said, the beginning of this book is told in a very creepy, almost surreal manner. Our narrator speaks in the first person as we meet Mike and his best friend Tamio, but it's clear that the narrator isn't a third person in the friendship. Instead, as the story goes on, the narrator starts giving suggestions and instructions to Mike. Go to the gym, buy a mirror, don't eat that. The narrator, it turns out, is his anorexia, the voice in the back of his head that tells him he's not thin enough, not strong enough, not good enough. We follow Mike as he first starts hearing this voice during a particularly tumultuous time in his life, through the escalation of his eating disorder and the eventual aftermath.
The choice to essentially have Mike's anorexia narrate the story was a bold one. The author makes some stylistic choices that were a bit difficult to get used to at first, but I think they worked when looking at the "big picture" of the story. For example, a lot of the dialogue is written in a script-like format. (as in: Mike: "blah blah blah" / Tamio: "Blah blah blah!") It was a different stylistic choice, one that I don't know how well I understand, but which made for interesting reading. Having the villain, essentially, narrate the story gave things an interesting perspective. Mike doesn't have the self awareness for most of the story to know exactly what's controlling him and to understand how he's hurting himself, and the narrator doesn't care and really sees Mike's struggle as "worth it" to perfect himself.
There were times when this book was very hard to read, for multiple reasons. First, because the reader -- and the other people in Mike's life -- see what he's doing to himself, but his judgment is too clouded to realize it or believe it. It's sad and sobering to see what Mike goes through, and to read about the negative thoughts he experiences all the time. Second, I think it's hard for anyone to live in today's culture without coming out with some really negative body image issues. A lot of the things that the voice in Mike's head says to him -- he has to master the chaos in his life, master his body, get fitter, get stronger; his friends and family aren't there for him, no one loves him, look at how gross you look, etc. -- are things that I and a lot of people I know have thought, no matter how much we know better. It's a very "there but for the grace of God go I" kind of thing, for me.
I think this is an important book to read, as it pretty directly tackles a very pressing, timely topic, but readers should be aware that it could be a very triggering read for individuals who are dealing with/have dealt with an eating disorder, have body image issues, etc. It would be a very good book for someone of any age who perhaps has a friend or loved one dealing with an eating disorder, or who wants to understand more about what it may be like for someone in that situation.
skuggi's review against another edition
5.0
an engaging and fast read. disturbing, moving, and captivating.
jaseychris's review against another edition
4.0
I've never read a book quite like this. The narration was amazing and it was so cool to see this subject of this story the way it was told.
trisha_thomas's review against another edition
4.0
"Mastering the chaos so the chaos doesn't master you"
Wow, this is an amazingly powerful book. It's not an average book because it talks about something we don't hear about much.
We think of anorexia as a woman's disease, an illness that men only have to watch but don't take apart of. But they do.
This was powerful because it also dives into the illness. You can see how quickly it goes from just the whispers and thoughts to it actually taking over your life.
as a parent, we can never have too much knowledge. I think the only thing that held me back was the end did not include help line and information about how to get help if you or someone you know has an eating disorder. I always think a book about something so serious should always follow with how to get help.
Wow, this is an amazingly powerful book. It's not an average book because it talks about something we don't hear about much.
We think of anorexia as a woman's disease, an illness that men only have to watch but don't take apart of. But they do.
This was powerful because it also dives into the illness. You can see how quickly it goes from just the whispers and thoughts to it actually taking over your life.
as a parent, we can never have too much knowledge. I think the only thing that held me back was the end did not include help line and information about how to get help if you or someone you know has an eating disorder. I always think a book about something so serious should always follow with how to get help.
yiirlzs's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
"In a soft voice, she whispered; 'I love that there is less of me.'"
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder
maryam162424's review against another edition
3.0
2016: 4 stars
Loved the boy's perspective and the pace it went in! A really good book!
2020: 2.5 stars
I can see why my 15 yr old self liked the concept of this book.. but it doesn’t deliver in the way I think it should. If it’s mean to raise awareness about boys having eating disorders too, then the least Metzger could do was show that they acknowledge this at the hospitals, where they would normally (and unfortunately) see cases such as Mike’s. I liked how most ppl didn’t say anything till it got really worrisome, but for a doctor to ignore this and the treatment centre to be so bland almost, it’s just not the right portrayal of how treatment works. I was pretty disappointed after rereading this but I’m also happy that I was able to acknowledge these things as a mature adult.
P.s. I know some treatment centres are really ignorant, but when a book is raising awareness that boys have eating disorders too, then in my opinion, it should be showing the progress mike makes AT the centres. Sure, maybe the first one was crap but Metzger should have taken him to another hospital with better treatment and better therapists.
Loved the boy's perspective and the pace it went in! A really good book!
2020: 2.5 stars
I can see why my 15 yr old self liked the concept of this book.. but it doesn’t deliver in the way I think it should. If it’s mean to raise awareness about boys having eating disorders too, then the least Metzger could do was show that they acknowledge this at the hospitals, where they would normally (and unfortunately) see cases such as Mike’s. I liked how most ppl didn’t say anything till it got really worrisome, but for a doctor to ignore this and the treatment centre to be so bland almost, it’s just not the right portrayal of how treatment works. I was pretty disappointed after rereading this but I’m also happy that I was able to acknowledge these things as a mature adult.
P.s. I know some treatment centres are really ignorant, but when a book is raising awareness that boys have eating disorders too, then in my opinion, it should be showing the progress mike makes AT the centres. Sure, maybe the first one was crap but Metzger should have taken him to another hospital with better treatment and better therapists.