13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl

• The vignette storytelling was a fantastic tool in conveying just how pervasive the issue of weight is and just how long this struggle can, and for many does, last. By the end of the novel she has no interests or friends, she's lost her husband, and she has yet again gained weight. This was such a beautifully written, minorly depressing cautionary tale that our lives can become just as hollowed out as our bodies.

• This book spoke to me on another level. It got too real and painfully relatable. Depressing, even, at certain places. But I still couldn't stop reading it. I felt seen and embarrassed. But also relieved that I wasn't the only one with these thoughts running in my head. From what I understand, the people who are angry with this book really failed to understand it. The author did a fantastic job.

• It hit close to home, and I wish people understood that it's the way the narrator views herself. It's not a novel to put down fat people. It just highlights the severity of what one's mental and physical health can do to them. It shows body dysmorphia and eating disorders. It shows how someone can fucking hate their body no matter what they look like. Sorry for the wall of text, but it gets more hate than it needs. It was beautifully written.

• In a way, her book is about growing up and especially about the act of looking at someone and the experience of being looked at. Above all, it explores how much that can affect how we see ourselves and how we perceive the world around us.

• There are some admittedly funny moments in the earlier stories although, overall, this is a serious read about a serious issue: women's (often unhealthy) relationships with their bodies. Many female readers will recognize Elizabeth's self-critical thoughts as ones that they have about their own bodies. Awad's writing is stellar, crisp and alive and her insight into the issue of fat shaming is remarkable.

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