is the debut novel of Sarai Walker, a former writer for Seventeen and Mademoiselle. Along with Edna O’Brien’s The Love Object, Ann Packer’s The Children’s Crusade, Charles Simic’s The Life of Images, and Leslie Parry’s Church of Marvels, the title made it into last month’s issue of O Magazine as one of the “10 Titles to Pick Up Now”. Walker does offer a story with much more depth than one might expect from the title and cover. She follows the transformation of Plum Kettle who, with the help of a supportive community of women, goes from hiding in her apartment waiting for weight-loss surgery to an individual with an active role in a world that has been challenged and changed by the actions of a female guerrilla group. While Walker’s brand of feminism might not appeal to all readers, her book is sure to inspire thought and incite discussion, and I would definitely recommend it as an addition to summer reading lists or for book club meet-ups.
