Skinny - by Diana Spechler (Paperback)

About the Book

Skinnywill be my go-to recommendation all year for anyone who wants smart, endearing, beautifully written women's fiction." Allison Winn Scotch, New York Times bestselling author of TheOne That I Want and Time of My Life

"Spechler transcends melodrama and clichewith striking sensitivity and delicate touch." Boston Globe

To escape thegrief she feels following her father s death, twenty-six year old Brooklynite Gray Lachmann becomesa counselor at a summer camp for overweight children, where she discovers shehas her own demons to battle both emotionally and physically. In Skinny, the ambitious, accomplished, anddarkly humorous second novel fromreader-favorite Diana Spechler author of Who ByFire and acontributor to Rumpus Women Volume 1 a vividly realized cast of characters mustcome to terms with eating disorders, buried secrets, and the trials of growingup."

Book Synopsis

"Skinnywill be my go-to recommendation all year for anyone who wants smart, endearing, beautifully written women's fiction." --Allison Winn Scotch, New York Times bestselling author of TheOne That I Want and Time of My Life

"Spechler...transcends melodrama and clichewith striking sensitivity and delicate touch." --Boston Globe

To escape thegrief she feels following her father's death, twenty-six year old Brooklynite Gray Lachmann becomesa counselor at a summer camp for overweight children, where she discovers shehas her own demons to battle both emotionally and physically. In Skinny, the ambitious, accomplished, anddarkly humorous second novel fromreader-favorite Diana Spechler--author of Who ByFire and acontributor to Rumpus Women Volume 1--a vividly realized cast of characters mustcome to terms with eating disorders, buried secrets, and the trials of growingup.

From the Back Cover

After her father's death, twenty-six-year-old Gray Lachmann findsherself compulsively eating. Desperate to stop bingeing, she abandonsher life in New York City for a job at a southern weight-losscamp. There, caught among the warring egos of her devious co-counselor, Sheena; the self-aggrandizing camp director, Lewis; his attractive assistant, Bennett; and a throng of combative teenage campers, she is confronted by acaptivating mystery: her teenage half-sister, Eden, whom Gray never knewexisted. Now, while unraveling her father's lies, Gray must tackle her ownself-deceptions and take control of her body and her life.

Visceral, poignant, and often wickedly funny, Skinny illuminates a youngwoman's struggle to make sense of the link between hunger and emotion, andto make peace with her demons, her body, and herself.

Review Quotes

"Impressively executed...[The characters'] voices are strong and convincing...Spechler is a talented writer who transcends melodrama and cliche with striking sensitivity and delicate touch." - Boston Globe
"Don't even think about picking up this book unless you're willing to sacrifice an entire day and every obligation you have to find out what happens to these heartbreaking, deeply flawed yet utterly lovable characters. This book got hold of me and wouldn't let me go, and it's haunted me ever since I finished. I cannot wait for whatever's next from Diana Spechler." - Katrina Kittle, author of THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS
"Diana Spechler evokes, with great humor and compassion, one family's struggle to escape a past scarred by loss, lies, and guilt. Impossible to put down, Who By Fire is a remarkable tale about fear and forgiveness and the bonds that hold a family together even as its members are falling apart. It's a beautiful novel." - Aryn Kyle, bestselling author of THE GOD OF ANIMALS
"Spechler's meditation on the nature of hunger is both touching and surprising, as Skinny boldly explores the connection between our emotional and physical appetites. Her characters and their stories stayed with me long after I put her book down." - Janelle Brown, bestselling author of All We Ever Wanted Was Everything and This Is Where We Live
"Diana Spechler writes like a dream. In Skinny, she masterfully explores the relationship between food and pain, between love and heartbreak. And what Spechler most magically captures is the elusive feeling of longing. And how, on its other side, we sometimes find what we needed all along." - Laura Dave, author of The Divorce Party and London Is The Best City in America
"Add me to what is sure to be a very long list of Diana Spechler fans. Skinny will be my go-to recommendation all year for anyone who wants smart, endearing, beautifully written women's fiction." - Allison Winn Scotch, New York Times bestselling author of The One That I Want and Time of My Life