Synopsis:
Gray Lachmann’s life feels to her that it matches her name. Gray, gloomy, without hope. Gray is convinced that she killed her father and since his death, she has been unable to control her eating. She overeats. She eats compulsively. She binges. She eats in secret. She eats without thinking about what she is eating, without tasting the food. Her boyfriend, Mikey, a stand-up comedian, does not seem to notice or care about her weight gain. But she does. Gray feels her father’s presence all the time, as though he transferred his own obesity to her when he died. Up to that point in her life, she was like her thin, calorie-counting mother.
Gray’s father did not approve of Mikey for a few reasons, not the least of which was the uncertainty of his career choice and the fact that, when Gray’s parents met Mikey and attended one of his early shows, he bombed miserably — on both accounts. So it had been a few years when Gray finally agreed to meet her father at his favorite steakhouse to celebrate her lunch. The conversation did not go well and the meeting ended tragically.
Now Gray is determined to understand why she cannot stop eating, so she gives up the career she has forged for herself, packs all of her belongings — leaving nothing behind in the apartment she has shared with Mikey for several years — and takes a job as a counselor at Camp Carolinas, a weight-loss camp. She will eventually find that her lack of experience as a camp counselor doesn’t matter because none of the other staff members are experienced or certified in their particular fields of presumed expertise, either. What she hopes to find over the course of the summer is not just a newly svelte figure and renewed control over her eating. She hopes to also find the truth about her father’s life and legacy, why she still feels so connected to him, and how to live with the guilt she feels about his death. Most of all, she needs to find the path to her future.
Review:
Gray is assigned a group of campers with various personality defects that have caused them to become fat and socially inept — or is it the other way around? — over whom she is to watch with her co-counselor, Sheena, a street-wise, tough, nineteen-year-old that the other campers immediately find cooler than Gray. The camp is run by Lewis, who is overweight and out-of-shape, but insists that his “program” will, over the course of the next eight weeks, have his campers returning home fit and lean. Nurse is also overweight and surly, but affectionately so. And then there is Bennett, the resident physical fitness instructor, who is forty-one years old, in excellent shape, and christens Gray “Angeline.” Before long, their mutual attraction inspires Gray to sneak out of the dorm where she is supposed to be available in case her campers need assistance during the night and into Bennett’s room where they embark on a summer-long affair. Given her surroundings, Gray’s obsession with food soon yields to her compulsive relationship with Bennett, and she quickly loses the extra weight, a fact Bennett appreciates and repays with uninhibited passion. But can their relationship survive the onset of autumn and the inevitable return to their real lives?
Skinny is about longing — longing for food, longing for another person — and about how different kinds of longing can get mixed up in a person’s mind.~ Author Diana Spechler
Gray arrives at camp and reports for the initial weigh-in wearing a drab, brown, one-piece bathing suit. Ironically, the girl Gray believes is her father’s secret love-child, Eden, arrives wearing precisely the same suit, thereby cementing her belief that the two of them are half-sisters. She intends to tell Eden, but first she wants to get to know her. As the summer progresses, she sees a gesture here, a look there that convince her she is right about Eden’s parentage. And as Gray and the other campers lose weight and become more comfortable with their bodies, they gradually peel off the extra layers of clothing in which they arrived, along with their inhibitions. They gradually form bonds, and come to care about each other, as is demonstrated upon the departure of the summer’s first casualty, Spider, following a severe allergic reaction. But summer camp is not reality . . . and Gray dreads the end of summer, and the conclusion of her respite from her real life and its responsibilities. Since the story is told from Gray’s perspective, it is encouraging that she recognizes part of the reason why the campers are shedding their fat clothes is that they are surrounded by other folks facing the same challenges and they are all learning to accept each other. She acknowledges that things will not be the same when summer ends and they all have to resume a normal existence. Gray especially dreads having to face the truth about her relationship with Mikey, whom she believes has no idea about her duplicitous conduct.
Eventually, Gray learns the truth about her father’s life and the events that forever changed him, and caused him to alter his own career path. She comes to understand why her mother has dealt with her father’s death in a manner she initially found surprising. And she comes to grips with her own emotional needs and the reasons why she attempted to satisfy them with food, as well as through her sexual relationship with Bennett. The inevitable confrontation with Mikey brings clarity to their relationship, allowing Gray to move on.
Skinny is based, in part, upon author Diana Spechler’s own ten-week experience working at a weight-loss camp. Hence, the realistic and often outlandish portrayal of the campers and staff. More importantly, however, the book grew out of her observation that most of the people she knew had “body-image issues or unhealthy relationships with food” and the various ways those issues were manifested and impacted their lives. “I felt desperate to explore it,” she writes.
For folks struggling with their weight, there are many characters and situations in Skinny that ring true, sometimes painfully so. Gray is empathetic because, at the age of twenty-six, most people are searching for answers that will give them the freedom to move forward with their plans and dreams. In that way, her struggles ring true. The book’s ending is somewhat ambiguous and can be interpreted differently, depending upon the reader’s reaction to Gray and what she has learned during her summer at camp. One thing is for sure: Skinny is a thought-provoking, yet often funny, exploration of very serious matters.
Enter to Win a Copy of Skinny
One lucky reader, selected at random, will receive a copy of Skinny, graciously provided by the author.
To enter, simply post a comment explaining why you would like to read Skinny. Be sure to include your email address (for notification and delivery purposes). The book can only be shipped to a United States or Canadian address (no P.O. box).
The comment posted by Margaret Faria was selected at random and a copy of Skinny was sent to her!
26 Comments
I would love to read this book because it sounds like I could relate to it and because the camp aspect makes it sound like a good summer read!
Erin F.
Fletch8502 at yahoo dot com
I would love to win this book. It sounds like it really goes to the heart of a problem that many women struggle with, so I think it will be easy to identify with the character.
kimbers10[at]yahoo[dot]com
I would love to read this because I also struggle with my weight and I would love to see how this story plays out. Thanks for the chance 🙂
jaidahsmommy(at)comcast(dot)net
Love the idea of this story taking place at camp, and the touches of humor will balance out the seriousness of the situation. It sounds like a fascinating story I’d like to read. 🙂
Skinny sounds very good, and love books about weight issues.
coffeebooksandlaundry(at)gmail.com
I would love to read this. I had issues with eating in high school. This sounds like something I would be interested in reading.
sassysasha817 at gmail dot com
This sounds like a great read ……gfc follower
vidishamun@gmail.com
I read a lot of books, so many that they all seem the same. I can predict the endings and it just gets old. This book looks like its actually unique and real. I look forward to reading it.
gfc follower
thegirlonfire27 at gmail dot com
This book sounds great. I went to a weight loss camp as a teenager. I would love to read this book.
hootow1978 at gmail dot com
I struggle with body image issues myself. I would love to read this!
I’d love to win this book because the summer time is coming and I yearn for something to read this summer on the beach.
Also, it reminds me of doing more exercises to have a healthier life
Too many of us struggle with weight gain. I’m looking forward to reading this book.
mamabunny13 at gmail dot com
The whole thing sounds fascinating. I also read Models Don’t Eat Chocolate Cookies and loved the message behind that. I think everyone can relate in some way to this main character and I’d love to read her story. Thanks for the chance. wilsondev(At)gmail(dot)com
The camp aspect sounds like lots of fun, it will remind me of my childhood 🙂 Thank you for this giveaway! edysicecreamlover18@gmailDOTcom
I find it so interesting how food and emotion go hand in hand. Sounds like a great book! Thanks for the giveaway1
Margaret
singitm@hotmail.com
I think it looks like an interesting book about a subject that I can definitely relate to.
mce1011 AT aol DOT com
I have this on my must read list!
Lizallrich(at)gmail(dot)com
I would love to read this because it looks to be a great summer read
This book sounds like it has relatable characters and an unusual plot, so I would love to read it. Thanks for the chance to win!
mrsmchappell at gmail dot com
I love any books with a psychological spin to it, and this sounds right up my alley! I worked at a behavioral health center right out of college and worked with a number of girls that had addictions that could easily be manifested by a “longing” for something: anorexia, bulimia, cutters, etc. The need to have control over some part of their life and, for some such as cutters, the longing to feel ANYTHING was so strong for these girls. I would love this book!
this subject intrigues me…thanks for the chance to read this novel 🙂
I so want to read this book because I want to know how Gray stops her binge eating!!! Did she become bulimic? If she stopped, did she go back to her normal self? I WANNA BE SKINNY. ARGH.
Thought-provoking and funny are definitely a good combination!
I’m glad you enjoyed this one. Thanks for being on the tour.
I’m dropping in to say you’re fabulous and read the review – no need to enter me in the drawing – I am so on the go everything is on the Kindle app right now.
Waving at you wildly from New York
I think many (most?) of us can relate to this book. I would enjoy reading it, I know!
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