13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl

"Honest, searing, and necessary." "Elle" "A hilarious, heartbreaking book." "People" "You ll want to grab a friend and say: Whoa. This. Exactly. " Washington Post" Growing up in the suburban hell of Misery Saga (a.k.a. Mississauga), Lizzie has never liked the way she looks even though her best friend Mel says she s the pretty one. She starts dating guys online, but she s afraid to send pictures, even when her skinny friend China does her makeup: she knows no one would want her if they could really see her. So she starts to lose. With punishing drive, she counts almonds consumed, miles logged, pounds dropped. She fights her way into coveted dresses. She grows up and gets thin, navigating double-edged validation from her mother, her friends, her husband, her reflection in the mirror. But no matter how much she loses, will she ever see herself as anything other than a fat girl? In her brilliant, hilarious, and at times shocking debut, Mona Awad simultaneously skewers the body image-obsessed culture that tells women they have no value outside their physical appearance, and delivers a tender and moving depiction of a lovably difficult young woman whose life is hijacked by her struggle to conform. As caustically funny as it is heartbreaking, "13 Ways of Looking at a" "Fat Girl "introduces a vital new voice in fiction. NAMED ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF 2016 BY ELLE, BUSTLE, AND "THE GLOBE AND MAIL "(CANADA) NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE MONTH BY THE HUFFINGTON POST, BUSTLE AND BOOKRIOT"

About the Author :
Mona Awad received her MFA in fiction from Brown University. Her work has appeared in "McSweeney s," "The Walrus," "Joyland," "Post Road," "St. Petersburg" "Review," and many other journals. She is currently pursuing a PhD in creative writing and English literature at the University of Denver."

Review :
Simultaneously tart and tender, "13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl" is stunning....The way food and body image define Elizabeth s life is depressing and sad. But the book is neither. There is so much humor here much of it dark, but spot on, like Dolores in Wally Lamb s "She s Come Undone" or Lena Dunham in "Girls ."As you watch Lizzie navigate fraught relationships with food, men, girlfriends, her parents and even with herself you ll want to grab a friend and say: Whoa. This. Exactly. " Washington Post" Heartbreaking . . . [rife] with beauty and humor . . . As addictive as potato chips and as painful as the prospect of eating nothing but 4-ounce portions of steamed fish for the rest of your life. " Chicago Tribune" Gutting . . . Awad gets everything right and, throughout these interconnected stories, reveals how absurd our culture is about women and their bodies. Several sections had me in tears. . . . I highly recommend this one. " "Roxane Gay (via GoodReads) A novel in thirteen vignettes about the experience of being a woman dealing with body image issues or simply put: The experience of being a woman. . . . Even someone who has never struggled with her weight should be able to see her teenage self in Awad s pages. " "The Rumpus "Awad's sensitive, unflinching depiction of [Lizzie's struggle] is a valuable addition to the canon of American womanhood."" Time " Awad explores the sometimes funny, sometimes heartbreaking ways that a person s struggle with body image can seep into every part of her existence...."13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl" is not really about how Lizzie March looks...[it's] about how she sees herself. " Wall Street Journal" "It's as if the writer has eavesdropped on your most pathetic, smallest thoughts. . . .Awad's writing is heartbreaking and witty, while her prose is insightful and sharp-elbowed in its caustic edge. . . .[Lizzie is] a vulnerable, funny and fierce narrator."" The Salt Lake Tribune ""[A] mordant coming-of-age novel."" O, "The Oprah Magazine "In this dark, honest debut, Awad sharply observes . . . the struggles of growing up, growing out, and trying to slim down, at any cost."" Marie Claire " "Blunt and funny, "13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl"is a refreshingly honest look at how society views physical appearance, how we internalize those critiques and how that affects the way we navigate the world." Mashable Awad is an incredibly skilled writer, with a rare ability to construct tiny moments of both acute empathy and astonishing depth. . . . [and] a profoundly sensitive understanding of the subject matter. . . . It s impossible not to be deeply affected by [her] prose. . . . A real narrative achievement. " The Globe and Mail"(Canada) "Absorbing . . . Subtle but poignant . . .This sort of intrafeminine aggression will be familiar to most women, whatever side of the body war they ve been on. But it is is a side of experience that hasn t been much explored by literary novelists."" The Guardian" Mona Awad writes exactly what you re thinking, and that s one of the many reasons you re going to love her debut. . . . ["13 Ways"]""announces her as a writer with real insight not only to the mind, but also to the heart. Bustle, "17 Of 2016 s Most Anticipated Books" "Funny and frank."" "Vice "As Lizzy examines the body she's never loved, our thin's-in, thigh-gap-crazy world comes into focus."" Cosmopolitan ""Throughout these often raw, poignant stories, Awad adeptly skewers the culture of fitness and dieting, a constant battle of self-denial. . . . [An]insightful debut."" BookPage" " " A painfully raw and bitingly funny debut . . . [Lizzie] gets under your skin, and she stays there. Beautifully constructed; a devastating novel but also a deeply empathetic one. " Kirkus Reviews, " starred review Assured and terrific. " Publishers Weekly" Touching . . . Behind the title of Awad s sharp first book, a unique novel in 13 vignettes, is brazen-voiced Lizzie, who longs for, tests, and prods the deep center of the cultural promise that thinness, no matter how one achieves it, is the prerequisite for happiness. " Booklist" This book sparkles with wit and at the same time comes across as so transparent and genuine Awad knows how to talk about the raw struggles of female friendships, sex, contact, humanness, and her voice is a wry celebration of all of this at once. Aimee Bender, author of "The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake" Hilarious and cutting . . . Mona Awad has a gift for turning the every day strange and luminous, for finding bright sparks of humor in the deepest dark. She is a strikingly original and strikingly talented new voice. Laura van den Berg, author of "Find Me" and "The Isle of Youth " " " Luminous . . . full of sharp insight and sly humor . . . It seems that Mona Awad can describe the imperfect nature of any love perfectly: whether it s love between friends, between mother and daughter, husband and wife, woman and food. Katherine Heiny, author of "Single, Carefree, Mellow " Remarkable . . . committed to the most honest and painful portrayal and comprehension of what it means to be human, with all its flaws and joys. Brian Evenson, author of "Fugue State" and "Immobility" "I loved this book!" Molly Antopol, author of "The UnAmericans "" Awad is an incredibly skilled writer, with a rare ability to construct tiny moments of both acute empathy and astonishing depth. She can also deftly shift from one viewpoint to another, expertly unveiling how a culturally mandated hatred of fat affects all of us to varying degrees. This is a book twitching with heavy anxiety, with a feeling of doom as its backdrop and it s impossible not to be deeply affected by Awad s prose. " The Globe and Mail" "Honest, searing, and necessary...["13 Ways"]peels back the curtain on thestruggles of entering womanhood."" Elle, ""16 Novels by Women Everyone Will Be Talking About in 2016"" " Heartbreaking....[rife] with beauty and humor....As addictive as potato chips and as painful as the prospect of eating nothing but 4-ounce portions of steamed fish for the rest of your life...."13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl "should come with a trigger warning for all the fat girls, skinny girls, ugly girls, slutty girls and every other current or former girl who might pick it up: One minute you'll be laughing along with Awad, the next you'll be crying into chilly bathwater. "Chicago Tribune" Gutting....Awad gets everything right and, throughout these interconnected stories, reveals how absurd our culture is about women and their bodies. Several sections had me in tears....I highly recommend this one. Roxane Gay (via GoodReads) Awad explores the sometimes funny, sometimes heartbreaking ways that a person s struggle with body image can seep into every part of her existence...."13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl" is not really about how Lizzie March looks...[it's] about how she sees herself. "Wall Street Journal" "Awad's sensitive, unflinching depiction of [Lizzie's struggle] is a valuable addition to the canon of American womanhood."" Time" Awad is an incredibly skilled writer, with a rare ability to construct tiny moments of both acute empathy and astonishing depth [and] a profoundly sensitive understanding of the subject matter....It s impossible not to be deeply affected by [her] prose....A real narrative achievement. "The Globe and Mail" (Canada) "In this dark, honest debut, Awad sharply observes...the struggles of growing up, growing out, and trying to slim down, at any cost."" Marie Claire " "[A] mordant coming-of-age novel."" O, "The Oprah Magazine A novel in thirteen vignettes about the experience of being a woman dealing with body image issues or simply put: The experience of being a woman....Awad writes powerfully about the all-consuming nature of weight loss and body image....Even someone who has never struggled with her weight should be able to see her teenage self in Awad s pages. The Rumpus Mona Awad writes exactly what you re thinking, and that s one of the many reasons you re going to love her debut....["13 Ways"]""announces her as a writer with real insight not only to the mind, but also to the heart. Bustle, "17 Of 2016 s Most Anticipated Books" "Funny and frank."" Vice" "As Lizzy examines the body she's never loved, our thin's-in, thigh-gap-crazy world comes into focus."" Cosmopolitan " A painfully raw and bitingly funny debut . . . [Lizzie] gets under your skin, and she stays there. Beautifully constructed; a devastating novel but also a deeply empathetic one. " Kirkus Reviews, " starred review Assured and terrific. " Publishers Weekly" Touching . . . Behind the title of Awad s sharp first book, a unique novel in 13 vignettes, is brazen-voiced Lizzie, who longs for, tests, and prods the deep center of the cultural promise that thinness, no matter how one achieves it, is the prerequisite for happiness. " Booklist" This book sparkles with wit and at the same time comes across as so transparent and genuine Awad knows how to talk about the raw struggles of female friendships, sex, contact, humanness, and her voice is a wry celebration of all of this at once. Aimee Bender, author of "The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake" Hilarious and cutting . . . Mona Awad has a gift for turning the every day strange and luminous, for finding bright sparks of humor in the deepest dark. She is a strikingly original and strikingly talented new voice. Laura van den Berg, author of "Find Me" and "The Isle of Youth " " " Luminous . . . full of sharp insight and sly humor . . . It seems that Mona Awad can describe the imperfect nature of any love perfectly: whether it s love between friends, between mother and daughter, husband and wife, woman and food. Katherine Heiny, author of "Single, Carefree, Mellow " Remarkable . . . committed to the most honest and painful portrayal and comprehension of what it means to be human, with all its flaws and joys. Brian Evenson, author of "Fugue State" and "Immobility" "I loved this book!" Molly Antopol, author of "The UnAmericans " " "" "Honest, searing, and necessary . . . ["13 Ways"]peels back the curtain on thestruggles of entering womanhood from body image, to relationships, to merely navigating the oh-so-cruel world." " Elle, ""16 Novels by Women Everyone Will Be Talking About in 2016" Mona Awad writes exactly what you re thinking, and that s one of the many reasons you re going to love her debut. . . . ["13 Ways"]""announces her as a writer with real insight not only to the mind, but also to the heart. Bustle.com, "17 Of 2016 s Most Anticipated Books" "In this dark, honest debut, Awad sharply observes everywhere from online chat rooms to office break rooms the struggles of growing up, growing out, and trying to slim down, at any cost." " Marie Claire ""As Lizzy examines the body she's never loved, our thin's-in, thigh-gap-crazy world comes into focus." " Cosmo" "A laugh-out-loud funny read that skewers our obsession with beauty and status . . . Lizzie is a character to love she's imperfect and at times frankly difficult, but real, relatable, and memorable. If this book is anything to judge by, you'll be hearing lots more from and about Mona Awad, so don't miss it." " "W Dish A painfully raw and bitingly funny debut . . . [Lizzie] gets under your skin, and she stays there. Beautifully constructed; a devastating novel but also a deeply empathetic one. " Kirkus Reviews, " starred review Assured and terrific. " Publishers Weekly" Touching . . . Behind the title of Awad s sharp first book, a unique novel in 13 vignettes, is brazen-voiced Lizzie, who longs for, tests, and prods the deep center of the cultural promise that thinness, no matter how one achieves it, is the prerequisite for happiness. " Booklist" This book sparkles with wit and at the same time comes across as so transparent and genuine Awad knows how to talk about the raw struggles of female friendships, sex, contact, humanness, and her voice is a wry celebration of all of this at once. Aimee Bender, author of "The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake" Hilarious and cutting . . . Mona Awad has a gift for turning the every day strange and luminous, for finding bright sparks of humor in the deepest dark. She is a strikingly original and strikingly talented new voice. Laura van den Berg, author of "Find Me" and "The Isle of Youth " " " Luminous . . . full of sharp insight and sly humor . . . It seems that Mona Awad can describe the imperfect nature of any love perfectly: whether it s love between friends, between mother and daughter, husband and wife, woman and food. Katherine Heiny, author of "Single, Carefree, Mellow " Remarkable . . . committed to the most honest and painful portrayal and comprehension of what it means to be human, with all its flaws and joys. Brian Evenson, author of "Fugue State" and "Immobility" "I loved this book!" Molly Antopol, author of "The UnAmericans"" A painfully raw and bitingly funny debut . . . [Lizzie] gets under your skin, and she stays there. Beautifully constructed; a devastating novel but also a deeply empathetic one. "Kirkus Reviews, " starred review Assured and terrific. "Publishers Weekly" Touching .Behind the title of Awad s sharp first book, a unique novel in 13 vignettes, is brazen-voiced Lizzie, who longs for, tests, and prods the deep center of the cultural promise that thinness, no matter how one achieves it, is the prerequisite for happiness. "Booklist" Mona Awad writes exactly what you re thinking, and that s one of the many reasons you re going to love her debut ["13 Ways"]" "announces her as a writer with real insight not only to the mind, but also to the heart. Bustle.com This book sparkles with wit and at the same time comes across as so transparent and genuine Awad knows how to talk about the raw struggles of female friendships, sex, contact, humanness, and her voice is a wry celebration of all of this at once. Aimee Bender, author of "The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake" Hilarious and cutting . . . Mona Awad has a gift for turning the every day strange and luminous, for finding bright sparks of humor in the deepest dark. She is a strikingly original and strikingly talented new voice. Laura van den Berg, author of "Find Me" and "The Isle of Youth " " " Luminous....full of sharp insight and sly humor....It seems that Mona Awad can describe the imperfect nature of any love perfectly: whether it s love between friends, between mother and daughter, husband and wife, woman and food. Katherine Heiny, author of "Single, Carefree, Mellow " Remarkable . . . committed to the most honest and painful portrayal and comprehension of what it means to be human, with all its flaws and joys. Brian Evenson, author of "Fugue State" and "Immobility" "I loved this book!" " "Molly Antopol, author of "The UnAmericans"" A painfully raw and bitingly funny debut . . . It s too simple to say that this is a novel about body image and self-hatred and the systemic oppression of women (though that wouldn t be totally wrong); in Lizzie, Awad has created a character too vivid, too complicated, and too fundamentally human to be reduced to a single moral. Lizzie s particular sadness is unsettlingly sharp: she gets under your skin, and she stays there. Beautifully constructed; a devastating novel but also a deeply empathetic one. "Kirkus Reviews, " starred review Assured and terrific. "Publishers Weekly" This book sparkles with wit and at the same time comes across as so transparent and genuine Awad knows how to talk about the raw struggles of female friendships, sex, contact, humanness, and her voice is a wry celebration of all of this at once. Aimee Bender, author of "The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake" Hilarious and cutting . . . Mona Awad has a gift for turning the every day strange and luminous, for finding bright sparks of humor in the deepest dark. She is a strikingly original and strikingly talented new voice. Laura van den Berg, author of "Find Me" and "The Isle of Youth " " " It seems that Mona Awad can describe the imperfect nature of any love perfectly: whether it s love between friends, between mother and daughter, husband and wife, woman and food. With sharp insight and sly humor, she makes you feel like you never understood the obsessive half-life of a food addict before. Not a word is wasted, and yet the book is bursting with richness and insight and observation. Each story works beautifully as a stand-alone piece and together they make a luminous whole, like a perfect string of pearls. Katherine Heiny, author of "Single, Carefree, Mellow " Remarkable . . . committed to the most honest and painful portrayal and comprehension of what it means to be human, with all its flaws and joys. Brian Evenson, author of "Fugue State" and "Immobility"" This book sparkles with wit and at the same time comes across as so transparent and genuine Awad knows how to talk about the raw struggles of female friendships, sex, contact, humanness, and her voice is a wry celebration of all of this at once. Aimee Bender, author of "The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake" Hilarious and cutting . . . Mona Awad has a gift for turning the every day strange and luminous, for finding bright sparks of humor in the deepest dark. She is a strikingly original and strikingly talented new voice. Laura van den Berg, author of "Find Me" and "The Isle of Youth " " " It seems that Mona Awad can describe the imperfect nature of any love perfectly: whether it s love between friends, between mother and daughter, husband and wife, woman and food. With sharp insight and sly humor, she makes you feel like you never understood the obsessive half-life of a food addict before. Not a word is wasted, and yet the book is bursting with richness and insight and observation. Each story works beautifully as a stand-alone piece and together they make a luminous whole, like a perfect string of pearls. Katherine Heiny, author of "Single, Carefree, Mellow " Remarkable . . . committed to the most honest and painful portrayal and comprehension of what it means to be human, with all its flaws and joys. Brian Evenson, author of "Fugue State" and "Immobility""