Dietland
by
Sarai Walker
The wickedly funny feminist revenge fantasy debut novel we've all been waiting for.
Plum Kettle does her best not to be noticed, because when you're fat, to be noticed is to be judged. Or mocked. Or worse.
But when a mysterious woman starts following her, Plum finds herself involved with an underground community of women who live life on their own terms. At the same time, a dangerous guerrilla group called "Jennifer" begins to terrorize a world that mistreats women. As Plum grapples with her personal struggles, she becomes entangled in a sinister plot, the consequences of which are explosive.
Part coming-of-age story, part revenge fantasy, Dietland is a bold, original and funny debut that takes on the beauty industry, gender equality and our weight loss obsession - from the inside out, and with fists flying.
Plum Kettle does her best not to be noticed, because when you're fat, to be noticed is to be judged. Or mocked. Or worse.
But when a mysterious woman starts following her, Plum finds herself involved with an underground community of women who live life on their own terms. At the same time, a dangerous guerrilla group called "Jennifer" begins to terrorize a world that mistreats women. As Plum grapples with her personal struggles, she becomes entangled in a sinister plot, the consequences of which are explosive.
Part coming-of-age story, part revenge fantasy, Dietland is a bold, original and funny debut that takes on the beauty industry, gender equality and our weight loss obsession - from the inside out, and with fists flying.
Reviews
A call to arms. Devious, subversive, delightful.
Walker's first novel leaves chick lit in the pixie dust, treading the rougher terrain of radical critique and shadowy conspiracies - territory closer to Rachel Kushner than Helen Fielding...Underneath the baggage - physical and political - is a character thoughtful, warm, and plausible enough to carry it off.
Finally, the feminist murder mystery/makeover story we've been waiting for.
A thrilling, incendiary manifesto disguised as a beach read.
Dietland is a funny, subversive novel which takes aim at the weight-loss industry and our obsession with rigid standards of beauty, but at its heart there is a kernel of fury at what is done to women by men.
An absolute must-read!
Showing 5 of 6 reviews
