Ellie is tired of being fat-shamed and does something about it in this debut novel-in-verse.
Ever since Ellie wore a whale swimsuit and made a big splash at her fifth birthday party, she’s been bullied about her weight. To cope, she tries to live by the Fat Girl Rules–like “no making waves,” “avoid eating in public,” and “don’t move so fast that your body jiggles.” And she’s found her safe space–her swimming pool–where she feels weightless in a fat-obsessed world. In the water, she can stretch herself out like a starfish and take up all the room she wants. It’s also where she can get away from her pushy mom, who thinks criticizing Ellie’s weight will motivate her to diet. Fortunately, Ellie has allies in her dad, her therapist, and her new neighbor, Catalina, who loves Ellie for who she is. With this support buoying her, Ellie might finally be able to cast aside the Fat Girl Rules and starfish in real life–by unapologetically being her own fabulous self.
Review:
Wow. What a fantastic book! I was not expecting to be so emotionally connected to this, but I was. I had to have Kleenex nearby for this one. I was not a fat kid, but when I hit puberty, I grew heavier and was bullied a little for it. Ever since, I’ve struggled with weight. I have certain health issues that make dieting very hard (I cannot eat a lot of healthy things, like raw vegetables). And like Ellie, I’ve have had a rocky relationship with my mother when it comes to food. There’s something about mothers, daughters, and food. I think part of it is that mothers know and don’t want their daughters to go through the torment. And part of it is a health thing. They want their children to be healthy and live a long time.
But, in Starfish, it’s abundantly clear, that Ellie’s mother has a lot more on her mind than health. She’s obsessed with Ellie’s weight. Ellie is in therapy and doesn’t feel loved by her mother because of this obsession. She is bulled at school for her weight. She is bulled at home for her weight. The only place she feels safe really is in her swimming pool, where she is left alone.
This is a book about finding your voice, about learning to stand up for yourself, and about getting help when you need it because no matter what anyone says, all people (no matter what they look like) deserve help and deserve to be loved. There were moments I had to pause because the book was so sad. It took physical bruises for Ellie’s sister to understand the level of bullying that was taking place. And the shift in their relationship was great, but it hurt so much that this is what it took for her to see things clearly. The hardest relationship though was with the mother. The things she did were just so terrible. The doctors, the articles, the trash searches, and mirror monitors, the words said and unsaid, were just terrible.
Poor Ellie had nowhere safe really. When something terrible happened at school, she couldn’t talk about at home with her mother. She had no sympathy there. Her siblings were worse. And her best friend moved away. It was just so sad. I was so glad when she started talking to her therapist. I’m glad she had her father. This really pointed out too how little teachers get involved, and how prevalent and easy it is for kids to bully or to do nothing when bullying is happening. This wasn’t an easy book to read. It was sad, but also had a hopeful ending. It reads quickly somehow, maybe because it’s told in verse. All in all, I thought the author did a fantastic job conveying everything, and expressing how to handle tough situations. I give it a 10/10.
No comments:
Post a Comment