Skinny: A Novel by Diana Spechler

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


rating: 2 stars

I kinda regret purchasing this book. I wish I could return it somehow, but oh well. The idea behind it was great. Exploring the connection between emotions and eating and how our body's impulses reflect our hidden thoughts and desires. I got into the book right away after I read the first few chapters and bought it. But then I got out of it quickly. The main character, Gray, alienated me with her thoughts and her actions. I couldn't sympathize with her. I couldn't connect with her, even though some of the phrases used in this book was poignantly written.

She kept thinking that she killed her father and the guilt made her eat. I understand that. I understand the self-loathing that she describes after a binge. She went to fat camp, only because she wanted to meet her long-lost half sister (a by-product of an affair she thought her father had had). I understand that when she hooked up with Bennet (as unbelievable to me as that is), that it filled her up temporarily. But I found her too extreme. She either eats a RIDICULOUS amount or eats NOTHING at all, and just have SEX the whole day. And over-exercising. I also couldn't get over how badly she was treating her boyfriend Mikey whom she had left behind while she was at fat camp. I mean, yea, not like Mikey was the perfect boyfriend, but he was patient with her and loved her no matter how skinny or fat she was. Then she had to sleep with Bennet and started complaining about Mikey and how he was never right for her. Gosh, seriously, this Gray girl is one of the most self-absorbed people I have ever read about. She links everything to herself and she complains about everything in an emo kind of way. It was hard to get through the book and emerge at the end.

Nothing much happened in between. The book skipped from past to present in a slightly confusing way but nothing too bad. It's just that it was REALLY slow and really, nothing happened. Nothing but life. The writing was good though. At some parts, there were sparkles as the words struck a cord in my heart. I felt some affinity in her struggle to stop eating and the idea of letting go. But it was like finding a few sparks of stardust in a massive blackhole.

The ending was depressing. Although I felt some closure was made with her feather's death and Mikey leaving her (GOOD FOR HIM), she went back to they way she was before fat camp. It's like the battle never even happened. And that was SO discouraging. It's almost saying, "Why bother trying? It'll be wasted effort. You'll just end up back at square one."

Overall, I found this book depressing. And discouraging. And I dun like ANY of the characters in this book. The only silver lining is the writing that at times, hit the nail on its head when it comes to life.



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