Summary"The Obvious Game" is a journey into anorexia. Diana starts out normal enough, but soon the spiraling reality of her mother's health and her growing relationship with a high school wrestler cutting weight find her helpless against the new rules taking shape in her mind. "The Obvious Game" is a look into the psychology of anorexia and how Diana finds her way back.
Afterthoughts
I read "The Obvious Game" because I recently did some beta reading for Rita Arens' next book (Which is great, by the way. You should definitely read it when it's released.) and I wanted to get a feel for her writing style and focus before I gave her feedback.
When I started reading the book and learned what it was about, I had to walk away from it for a few days because it hit way too close to home. I have seen the effects of an eating disorder firsthand and it was startling to find such a realistic treatment of this difficult topic. I am ever so glad I continued reading, though, because it was a gut-wrenchingly honest and somewhat painful look into the damage an eating disorder brings into a person's life.
Arens also struggled with an eating disorder in college and she uses her experience to write an emotionally powerful account of a young girl who experiments with alcohol, sex and self-harm to find the answers to her questions about life.
So, while this book was not the best-written or most gripping story I have ever read, it was one that resonated with my own experience. And isn't that really what makes a good story?
Warnings
Self-harm, underage drinking, sex and language (including some F-words). Like always, I will never recommend anything explicit, but I'm giving this one a stronger warning than usual.
Extras
Check out Rita's blog.
This sounds like a good read for not just people who've battled eating disorders, but also friends and family who have watched eating disorders take hold of peoples' lives. Thanks for sharing, I appreciate your transparency!
ReplyDeleteI would venture to say almost all of us know someone who has struggled with an eating disorder or have struggled with one ourselves. This is such a prevalent issue and I appreciate any author's efforts to bring the realities of the problem to light, even if it is gut-wrenching and painful to read. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI have a couple of friends who have struggled with eating disorders. A book like this would probably help me understand a bit better what was going through their heads. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI've never had any experience with eating disorders, so this book would probably be a good read for me. I've never taken a dive into the effects of eating disorders or what it's like to live with one, so maybe I should give this a try.
ReplyDeleteWhat is beta reading? and this sounds like a hard, but good read. Do you think this book would be helpful for someone struggling with anorexia, or more for friends/family to help them understand better?
ReplyDeleteI think it would be good for someone struggling with anorexia, but even better for those around them. It's a strong and accurate look into the thought process that comes with the disorder and would be a great insight for friends and family. Beta reading is when an author sends the first copy of the book to readers for critiques and suggestions before the book is published. It was really fun!
ReplyDeleteThat's cool you got to do beta reading. Sounds like an intense book ... because real life is intense.
ReplyDeleteBeta reading sounds so cool! I would love to do that sometime. And this sounds like a really heavy, but good book.
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