Hello awesome readers! Welcome to another Short Reads Saturday where I read and review one of the shorter books on my TBR list because, you know, it makes me feel productive! In all seriousness though this is my 20th #ShortReadsSaturday review, so in reality I have actually knocked a few books from my TBR! I read this book two Saturdays ago and wanted to get my review up then, but unfortunately didn’t get a chance to post it, so I’m completing it today. I’m doing my best to get back into blogging with a little toddler running around causing mayhem, and I’m trying not to beat myself up too much for struggling to keep up!
Today’s #ShortReadsSaturday review is a short story about a woman’s battle with binge eating and self acceptance. The author has been doing such an amazing job promoting this book on Twitter that I actually bought it twice, paperback and kindle! If you have Kindle Unlimited you can read for free! If you read a lot of books, KU is so worth and I would highly recommend trying out the 30 day free trial to see if you like it. With the amount of books to chose from, I’m sure you’ll be hooked like I am.
I Should Have Worn A Curtain
A Tale of Bulimia, Self-loathing, and Romance
By Samyra Alexander
Genres: Short Story, Contemporary Fiction, American Fiction, Diverse Representation, Mental Health & Eating Disorder Awareness
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pages: 30
Suitable for ages: Teens+
Release Date: May 12, 2020
Format Read For Review: Paperback (8-8-20), Kindle (8-15-20) (Purchased)
I love the honesty of this story. The narrator, Shaena, tells us her story at a point where she is aware of her bad habits, and the root of her issues with food and self esteem. She’s open about the mistakes she’s made and even calls herself out for judging others. It’s rare you see a protagonist so flawed and also able to accept blame. She’s also a very relatable and likable character. I genuinely felt for her when she wasn’t treated right and cheered for her happiness.
Shaena tells us the story of her childhood and the loss that undoubtedly sparked her eating disorder. It’s a great story for people of all shapes and sizes. If you’re overweight there are things you’ll be able to relate to and if you’re slender hopefully it will give you a better understanding of others who aren’t so lucky. As expressed in this book weight gain comes from all sorts of sources, sometimes mental health related. I think it’s important for people to understand weight is a complicated issue and doesn’t mean someone is ‘lazy’ or even necessarily an ‘over-eater.’ I think understanding this character will help people to gain a better insight into mental illness and hopefully remove the stigma of it. Even the ‘villains’ of this piece are clearly struggling with their own issues and have their own dark pasts, some of which we get to see.
The woman in this story shows us a different side of bulimia than we are familiar with, because she doesn’t purge. It was interesting and inspiring to read this perspective. I felt both sad and hopeful seeing this character go through hard times, and hoping things would get better for her. At times the book was incredibly humorous and had a wonderful overall lightness to it, especially considering the sensitive subject matter. This line from an argument with her denim jeans had me rolling, “Stop stuffing your big bottom into me. You accuse me, now it’s my turn to hold court with you.”
Even though it was a quick read there was a lot of meat to it! I would definitely recommend this book to everyone. It’s a short read that explores eating disorders and mental illness. Even if it’s not a subject that affects you it’s a good perspective to experience. We’re all unique human beings with different stories and seeing what others go through helps us to have a broader world view.
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Excellent review (as always). Thanks for calling this one to my attention. You might like Good Luck With That by Kristan Higgins. I reviewed it some time ago on http://powerfulwomenreaders.wordpress.com
You’ll have to use the search box; it was a while back.
Thank you! I hope you enjoy it too!
You’re right that book sounds really good to me, Thanks for the rec!
Thanks for this thoughtful review of my book. It’s satisfying to know you understand my character, Shaena, and the take away message.
Yay, I’m glad to know I interrupted it as intended! I really enjoyed the book, thank you for sharing it with the world!