Sasha Paley’s book, Huge, is out in a trade paperback version just in time for summer. Good thing, too, because if you haven’t already read it you have got to read it right now. Now. This minute. I insist.
Okay, honestly? The reason I first picked up the book is because I liked the cover. Almost anything with food on the cover — as long as it’s tasty-looking food — is going to suck me in. But of course, Huge is about … fat camp. Welcome to Wellness Canyon, where the goal is to fit into a pair of skinny jeans by the end of the summer.
Your companions on this journey will be Wilhelmina, better known as Wil, whose parents own an expensive gym chain and are sending her to Wellness Canyon against her wishes. She plans to be the only person to leave fat camp having gained weight. Then there’s April, who has been saving her money all year to afford this, to learn how to eat healthily and to get some time to focus on exercising and losing weight. She’s determined to remake herself, and unfortunately she gets stuck with the one girl at camp who is determined not to remake herself.
Know how I recommended Artichoke’s Heart not too long ago? I still recommend it, absolutely. But whereas that novel was definitely a drama, this one is more of a comedy. Or a dramedy, maybe. We get to see things from both perspectives, from the perspective of a girl whose parents don’t love her for what she is and from the perspective of a girl who wants to be healthy but has a very hard time doing it at home. Rich girl, poor girl, cranky girl, peppy girl. The setup is a glorious situation in which everyone is completely miserable.
But of course, and I hope I’m not giving too much away here, both characters grow and find a certain sort of equilibrium. And they get caught up in wacky hijinks. And they lose weight, too.
Reading this book is sort of like watching an entire season of The Biggest Loser in one sitting, except with more funny. And with teenagers. Note: I did once watch an entire season of the aforementioned reality TV show in one day. It made me really want to lose weight. This book? Kind of made me want to go to fat camp. Just to get totally one hundred percent fit, and like, reinvent myself. Do you think they’d admit someone who is almost thirty to fat camp? Especially when that person is merely a little overweight? Zaftig, you know. Nicely cushioned.
Right. Anyway, Huge is a fantastic read, and now that it’s out in paperback you don’t have any excuses for not buying it. Unless you already have, and you’ve already read it, in which case, why don’t you tell me what you think in comments? Let’s get a discussion going, yeah?
Buy Huge