Massive - by Julia Bell (Paperback)

About the Book

When her mother takes her to live in the city, Carmen's life spins out of control. She begins to take charge of the only thing she can--what she eats. This is a searing portrait of one girl's descent into the world of eating disorders.

Book Synopsis

"I'm fat," I hear myself saying. I look in the mirror. My face has gone hot and red; I feel like I'm going to explode. "I'm fat." It sizzles under my skin, puffing me up, pushing me out, making me massive.

Weight has always been a big issue in Carmen's life. How could it not? Her mom is obsessed with the idea that thin equals beautiful, thin equals successful, thin equals the way to get what you want. Carmen knows that as far as her mom is concerned, there is only one option: be thin.

When her mother sweeps her off to live in the city, Carmen finds that her old world is disappearing. As her life spirals out of control Carmen begins to take charge of the only thing she can -- what she eats. If she were thin, very thin, could it all be different?

Review Quotes

"For every girl who's fat or thin or in between, Massive is terrific. Julia Bell's Carmen knows how it feels to want to scream but to grit your teeth instead."

-- Gail Giles, author of Shattering Glass and Dead Girls Don't Write Letters.

"Grim, gritty, real. Massive is an important, cautionary tale of the dangerous pairing of food and self-esteem. Thought provoking."

-- Deb Caletti, National Book Award finalist

About the Author

Julia Bell is a Reader in Creative Writing at Birkbeck, University of London. She is the author of three novels, a poetry collection and the acclaimed essay Radical Attention (Peninsula Press), and her work has been published in the TLS, the New Statesman, The Paris Review, and Prospect, as well as broadcast on the BBC. She has given talks and workshops across the UK and internationally for the British Council.