Massive

A short read, but the dynamics between the main character and her mother are very real and believable. The characters are developed well, despite the length of the book.

Carmen is devastated when her mother moves them out of their house with the only father she has ever known into a dinky apartment in Birmingham. It definitely is not one of the hot spots in England, but at least in Birmingham she gets to know her grandparents and aunt for the first time. Her Aunt Lisa is a nail artist and Carmen loves learning how to paint and airbrush designs. But things at home do not improve. Her mother is still very unhappy, even with the move, and becomes obsessed with both her own looks and Carmen's. Just out of the hospital from the effects of bulimia, Carmen's mother returns down the same destructive dieting path. Most days she discourages Carmen from eating at all. Soon Carmen begins to feel that she too needs to diet and then throw up her food. She is convincing herself that this is the one area of her life she can control. After a disturbing conclusion, readers will be haunted by the reality that eating disorders are a lifelong struggle for sufferers. This is a must-read for those who feel bad about their body or who know anyone going through this disease, in order to help understand the serious results of those issues. --- Reviewed by Amy Alessio

MASSIVE deals with 3 generations of women with eating disorders. The Nan is a binge eater; the mother is an extreme anorexic, and the daughter, Carmen (who narrates) has been shaped by her mother to believe thin is beauty, thin is success, thin is everything and after being swept off to Birmingham she starts to believe it might be true. Personally I really enjoyed this book. I think it's different from anything else I've read about eating disorders and deals with it in a different way. The main focus is on the mother and how it has changed her completely but it also deals with how she can pass these insecurities onto her daughter. She is always calling her fat and forcing her on diets with her, when Carmen has absolutely nothing to worry about. Something I wasn't sure about was the age of Carmen. I think she's supposed to be 14/15 but at the beginning of the book I think it paints her as younger, for example she doesn't wear a bra although she's supposed to have a large chest and be "meaty" (personally I DO NOT think 8 stone is "meaty") and her mother bushes her hair, nagging her to wear it in plaits. But her friend is nearly "doing it" and when she moves to the city she thrown into sex, drugs and rock and roll. I think the book can be a little weird in places but I liked that, I thought it made it different. I liked the way you saw anorexia from both the person who deals with it and seeing someone you love deal with it perspectives. It's easy to read and a short one too. It might have made me feel a little guilty for eating so much to begin with but as you see just what the consequences can be for extreme dieting I was very glad at the end that I have a healthy attitude towards food.If you've ever felt a bit dodgy about your apperence or weight, or know someone who sufferers from an eating disorder, you should read this!

I have read many books on eating disorders and this one was not like any other. At first I didn't like the book, it took half the book before anything really happens to the main character. However- I totally recomend this book to anyone who knows someone dealing with an eating disorder or someone who is eating disordered themself.

I was leaving for a family vacation, so as usual I stopped by the book store and library. I happened upon this book because it was one of the few I hadn't read in the section I wandered into. I was pleasently surprised. This is an amazing book with a really good story, I would recomend it to anyone who likes the works of Francesca Lia Block, or suffers with an eating disorder or family problems.