BOOK INFORMATION
Genre: Women's Fiction
- Publisher: St. Martin's Press (February 5, 2019)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1250202442
- ISBN-13: 978-1250202444
Synopsis: Yara Zgheib’s poetic and poignant debut novel is a haunting portrait of a young woman’s struggle with anorexia on an intimate journey to reclaim her life.
The chocolate went first, then the cheese, the fries, the ice cream. The bread was more difficult, but if she could just lose a little more weight, perhaps she would make the soloists’ list. Perhaps if she were lighter, danced better, tried harder, she would be good enough. Perhaps if she just ran for one more mile, lost just one more pound.
Anna Roux was a professional dancer who followed the man of her dreams from Paris to Missouri. There, alone with her biggest fears – imperfection, failure, loneliness – she spirals down anorexia and depression till she weighs a mere eighty-eight pounds. Forced to seek treatment, she is admitted as a patient at 17 Swann Street, a peach pink house where pale, fragile women with life-threatening eating disorders live. Women like Emm, the veteran; quiet Valerie; Julia, always hungry. Together, they must fight their diseases and face six meals a day.
Every bite causes anxiety. Every flavor induces guilt. And every step Anna takes toward recovery will require strength, endurance, and the support of the girls at 17 Swann Street.
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Review: This book nearly broke my heart on more than one occasion. It begins with Anna being brought to 17 Swann Street, a recovery facility for girls with eating disorders. The author gives us an amazing insight into the lives and mindsets of all the girls, but especially Anna. We experience her ups and downs as she struggles with the idea of having to gain weight back that she has worked so hard to lose. We get flashback glimpses into Anna's life before her illness, as well as present-day narration of the day to day events in the house and occasional clinical notes from her medical team.
Each of the girls she meets in the house has a story to tell and a different demon to fight. Not every story has a happy ending. Even Anna's story realistically remind us that eating disorders can be a lifetime battle.
Each of the girls she meets in the house has a story to tell and a different demon to fight. Not every story has a happy ending. Even Anna's story realistically remind us that eating disorders can be a lifetime battle.
Rating: Four stars
About the author
Yara Zgheib is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters degree in Security Studies from Georgetown University and a Ph.D. in International Affairs in Diplomacy from Centre D'études Diplomatiques et Stratégiques in Paris. She is fluent in English, Arabic, French, and Spanish. Yara is a writer for several US and European magazines, including The Huffington Post, The Four Seasons Magazine, A Woman’s Paris, The Idea List, and Holiday Magazine. She writes on culture, art, travel, and philosophy on her blog, "Aristotle at Afternoon Tea" (http://www.aristotleatafternoontea.com/).
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