Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes
Chris Crutcher
excerpt
HarperTempest, 1993
295 pages

It’s written from the point of view of Eric Calhoune, also known as “Moby,” because of his weight. He and Sarah Byrnes have been friends since elementary school because they were both “different” — she was badly burned in what she referred to as a childhood accident. When Moby joined the swim team, he started to shed his extra pounds…and he was afraid getting thinner would make his best friend think he didn’t want to be her friend anymore (hence the title). But now the sarcastic, tough-as-nails Sarah Burnes has stopped talking completely and is in the hospital’s mental ward. Eric uncovers some of the terrible secrets she is hiding and tries his best to help…

SLJ describes it: “An obese boy and a disfigured girl suffer the emotional scars of years of mockery at the hands of their peers. They share a hard-boiled view of the world until events in their senior year hurl them in very different directions. A story about a friendship with staying power, written with pathos and pointed humor. ” PW adds: “A subplot centering on a self-righteous teammate drives home the point that nothing is as it appears on the surface, and leads to Eric being caught between his menacing vice-principal and the even more malevolent Mr. Byrnes–with spine-tingling results. Superb plotting, extraordinary characters and crackling narrative make this novel one to be devoured in a single unforgettable sitting.” Kirkus (warning spoilers) writes: “Though Crutcher doesn’t always play fair in developing his themes–all the conservative Christians here are humorless dupes or hypocrites, and one tries to commit suicide after it comes out that his girlfriend had an abortion–his language, characters, and situations are vivid and often hilarious. In the end, he deals out just deserts all around: Eric gets a stepfather he can respect; Virgil, a vicious mauling plus 20 years in stir; Sarah, a new and loving set of parents. Readers may find the storybook ending a welcome relief, though it does seem forced after the pain that precedes it. Pulse-pounding, on both visceral and intellectual levels–a wild, brutal ride.”

Ages 12+, Grade 8+

ALA Best Book for YA
SLJ Best Book for YA
American Booksellers Pick of the List
California Young Reader Medalist
ALA Best of the Best Books for YA
Publisher’s Weekly Starred Review
and other awards

If you like Chris Crutcher books, you’ll probably like this one (there are definitely familiar elements from the other books.) After reading King of the Mild Frontier I definitely wanted to read more by him.