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A review by carahamelie
The Girls at 17 Swann Street by Yara Zgheib
5.0
4.5
I was excited to get an ARC of this book from my local bookstore.. and I am always eager to read books about mental illness. This one specifically hits home because I have experienced a very similar scenario.
*TRIGGER WARNINGS START NOW*
Anna is a 26 year old married woman who used to dance ballet in Paris. She has to quit due to a leg injury and her husband gets a job in the US, so they move and she finds herself falling into anorexia. She is placed in a live in treatment facility and the book follows her recovery story.
This is a fiction story and I am pretty sure it is an own voices story as well. (This is not a memoir). I found that a lot of what the author writes is pretty spot on to how an anorexic feels and thinks in recovery. Even down to little details that only someone who has suffered can understand... with quotes like "I have been anorexic for so long, I have forgotten how to eat". I also found the treatment facility to be pretty spot on as well. How they were treated, and how meals were treated. It's an amazingly accurate look at what recovering from an eating disorder looks like in a treatment type setting. The sudden closeness of the girls out of pure relatability, and the relationships that form from it. And how quickly those relationships come to an end. It made me miss the girls I was in treatment with ages ago. There were a few sections I highlighted that were a little off the mark... but not many. If you are looking for a true look into an anorexics mind, this is a good story.
I also loved that Anna was in her mid 20's because I find that most books that revolve around eating disorders are usually young adult, as if only teenagers deal with them. This was very interesting to see what a married woman in treatment looks like. Was her and her husband's relationship completely healthy for a recovery scenario... No. Was she too dependent on him... Yes. But for a story like this, I don't mind some human flaws because we are talking mental illness here... things aren't always exactly how they should be.... it's life.
One thing that did bother me about the story was the authors focus on food, and not body dysmorphia. There was no talk of obsessive thoughts, body checking rituals, and obsessions with body changes in recovery. It was only about the food and the anxieties over that. There are two main focuses of anorexia, food and body dysmorphia... the body dysmorphia was hardly even discussed. Her thoughts on her body image would have been spiraling out of control even in the first few days. There were some passing comments, but I didn't find it very realistic. To get a better idea of what recovery is like, it would be a nice addition.
As for the writing style. Not my favorite, but not terrible. I found it a little confusing at times with the italic dialogue. I sometimes couldn't tell who was speaking. And the jumps from past to present were a little hazy.
There are definitely some hard hitting subjects in this book. I found myself emotional at parts as well. If you are easily triggered its probably not for you. If you are currently recovering... You might also find it a bit triggering as well.
Overall this was great. It's not a feel good read necessarily... but it really puts things into perspective, especially by dealing with some really difficult realities of anorexia.
I was excited to get an ARC of this book from my local bookstore.. and I am always eager to read books about mental illness. This one specifically hits home because I have experienced a very similar scenario.
*TRIGGER WARNINGS START NOW*
Anna is a 26 year old married woman who used to dance ballet in Paris. She has to quit due to a leg injury and her husband gets a job in the US, so they move and she finds herself falling into anorexia. She is placed in a live in treatment facility and the book follows her recovery story.
This is a fiction story and I am pretty sure it is an own voices story as well. (This is not a memoir). I found that a lot of what the author writes is pretty spot on to how an anorexic feels and thinks in recovery. Even down to little details that only someone who has suffered can understand... with quotes like "I have been anorexic for so long, I have forgotten how to eat". I also found the treatment facility to be pretty spot on as well. How they were treated, and how meals were treated. It's an amazingly accurate look at what recovering from an eating disorder looks like in a treatment type setting. The sudden closeness of the girls out of pure relatability, and the relationships that form from it. And how quickly those relationships come to an end. It made me miss the girls I was in treatment with ages ago. There were a few sections I highlighted that were a little off the mark... but not many. If you are looking for a true look into an anorexics mind, this is a good story.
I also loved that Anna was in her mid 20's because I find that most books that revolve around eating disorders are usually young adult, as if only teenagers deal with them. This was very interesting to see what a married woman in treatment looks like. Was her and her husband's relationship completely healthy for a recovery scenario... No. Was she too dependent on him... Yes. But for a story like this, I don't mind some human flaws because we are talking mental illness here... things aren't always exactly how they should be.... it's life.
One thing that did bother me about the story was the authors focus on food, and not body dysmorphia. There was no talk of obsessive thoughts, body checking rituals, and obsessions with body changes in recovery. It was only about the food and the anxieties over that. There are two main focuses of anorexia, food and body dysmorphia... the body dysmorphia was hardly even discussed. Her thoughts on her body image would have been spiraling out of control even in the first few days. There were some passing comments, but I didn't find it very realistic. To get a better idea of what recovery is like, it would be a nice addition.
As for the writing style. Not my favorite, but not terrible. I found it a little confusing at times with the italic dialogue. I sometimes couldn't tell who was speaking. And the jumps from past to present were a little hazy.
There are definitely some hard hitting subjects in this book. I found myself emotional at parts as well. If you are easily triggered its probably not for you. If you are currently recovering... You might also find it a bit triggering as well.
Overall this was great. It's not a feel good read necessarily... but it really puts things into perspective, especially by dealing with some really difficult realities of anorexia.