Dietland - Book Review

Don't let the cover of this book fool you, although, you might notice the cupcake bomb before I did. This is not a lighthearted book about an obese woman who a) loses the weight or b) finds love. Instead, this is an intense book about an obese woman named Plum who wants to have weight-loss surgery so she can finally live her life, but instead she finds herself part of a feminist group with ties to feminist extremists, and she doesn't know if she wants to support any of this and stick up for herself and women or just go through with her surgery and move on with her life.

I thought the style of this reminded me of something that Chuck Palahniuk would write, and then I read the "Acknowledgments" in the back of the book and discovered that the author, Sarai Walker, was inspired to write this book after reading and watching Fight Club. So, there you have it!

If you're a woman reading this book on her own, I have to say that I think it would be a lot better to read it with someone else or as part of a book club. There is a lot to discuss in this book! What would you do if you were in Plum's position? What would you do if you were in the position of ANY of the women in the book?

Some of this book may be hard for some women to read, especially those women who have gone through similar circumstances. But I think it's an important book that will launch a greater discussion about the treatment of women in this country.

Dietland is published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and is on bookstore shelves now. I received a free copy of the book at Book Expo America with no obligation to review.