Stranger Here

January 15, 2013
An arresting memoir about the author's experience with weight-loss surgery. Larsen initially lied to her mother about the nature of her surgery and didn't tell her the truth until well after the procedure. She admits that her librarian co-workers "probably knew more than I did" about the risks and potential complications, and she spread the first payment across three credit cards. When a doctor reprimanded her for gaining, rather than losing, weight before the surgery date, Larsen asked, "If I don't lose the weight, can you still operate?" She smoked and drank heavily. After her painful recovery, she "ate whatever I could fit inside me, and suffered for it, and lost weight anyway." In the hands of a lesser writer, all of these facts could lead readers to feel judgment or disgust. Instead, Larsen's honesty and insight make for a searing account of precisely what it feels like to be fat and to have complicated relationships with food, family and friends. We understand exactly why one would look to surgery as a solution to not only excess weight, but also fear, loneliness and unhappiness. Larsen eventually lost the weight, and she also moved on from her dead-end job and her bad relationship. But though her life is measurably better, she still reels from the shock that self-acceptance did not come automatically: "You lose weight without having to develop self-awareness, self-control, a sense of self. In fact, you go ahead and you lose your sense of self." Raw vulnerability and rigorous emotional honesty make this weight-loss memoir compelling and memorable.

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March 15, 2013

Freelance writer and blogger Larsen chronicles her journey of discovery on the difficult road of weight-loss surgery (WLS). Open, honest, and willing to share her thoughts and feelings, Larsen highlights important truths about what extreme weight loss does and does not offer individuals. She addresses a major problem: the belief that weight loss will make problems and loneliness disappear, that life will instantly transform into an idealized version of itself. She shines a light on the aspect of the weight-loss experience that few talk about: the confusion people feel as they experience changes to their bodies, the loss of identity, physical restrictions caused by the surgery, and the eating habits, cravings, and temptations that still exist after WLS. VERDICT This book will resonate with readers who have undergone WLS and is essential for those considering it. Recommended.--Crystal Renfro, Georgia Inst. of Technology Lib., Atlanta

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