Are You EVER Going to be Thin? (and other stories)
 |
Are You EVER Going to be Thin? (and other stories) ______________________________________ |
Chronicles artist Samantha Mallory’s battle with weight,
family, molestation, love, marriage, sexuality, the Catholic church, traumatic
cultural events, and death.
A
family reunion awakens the voices of Samantha’s relatives, dead and alive.
“Time,
An Other,” the opening story, describes Samantha’s first memory; other stories
move forward and backward and forward in time. “In the Name of God” places
Samantha’s daughter and granddaughter in New York City during 9/11;
“Psychedelic Bingo” moves forward to 2035; “Time, Suspended,” the last story
(set in 1990), reveals a family secret.
“Are
You EVER Going to be Thin?”: the title story, interweaves childhood letters
from an aunt with a grandmother’s dire warnings.
“Cut,”
a bonus story added to the Kindle version, delves into Samantha’s fascination
and fear of fire and her willingness to court danger as she befriends a
prisoner via mail.
Also
included: “Are You Thin Yet?” the essay that inspired the title story and this
collection.
For Educators and Book Clubs: The
Kindle edition includes questions for discussion and 25+ creative writing
exercises.
Sample Discussion
Question and Writing Exercise:
In the
title story “Are You EVER Going to be Thin?,” Samantha is a silent presence as
two alternating voices address her in various ways. Who are they, and how do
their own attitudes toward Samantha’s weight inform her own self-awareness and
body image? In what literary form does each voice address Samantha, and why are
both forms important to Samantha’s understanding of her familial relationships?
The author has said that she was influenced by Jamaica Kincaid’s classic short
short story “Girl.” How are the two stories similar? How are they different?
Writing
exercise (about 250 words): Based on a “voice” from your own past (or made up),
write a short fictional passage in which an adult is addressing a child (who
remains silent).
Comments