 First edition | |
| Author | Sam J. Miller |
|---|---|
| Cover artist |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Subject | mental health • queer • eating disorder • love • bullying |
| Genre | science fiction • young adult • fantasy • lgbt |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
Publication date | July 11, 2017 |
| Pages | 384 |
| Awards |
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| ISBN | 978-0062456717 |
| OCLC | 961008184 |
The Art of Starving is a 2017 young adult science fiction novel by Sam J. Miller. It was published by HarperCollins.
Matt, a teenager, practices “The Art of Starving”: by eating as little food as possible, he believes that he will reach enlightenment. He seeks to uncover the mystery of his sister Maya’s recent disappearance. His mother believes that she had just ran away, but Matt believes something nefarious happened to her. He gets closer to classmate Tariq, the last person Maya saw before she disappeared, as he believes that he or his friends was responsible. Complicating matters is Matt’s attraction for him — another hunger he tries to repress.
Matt discovers he has extra-heightened senses as a result of his fasting, as when he is forced to eat, his senses become dull again. He senses that Tariq has a big secret. He tries to pressure him into admitting what he did to Maya, but he admits that his big secret is that he is gay and has had a crush on Matt for a while. Matt reciprocates his feelings and they agree to keep their relationship secret, as Tariq’s parents are homophobic. Tariq tells Matt that Maya asked him to drive her so she could meet her father.
Matt is devastated knowing that Maya abandoned them. His self-image issues and need for control intensifies, and as he eats less, his powers grow. He visits Tariq's family for dinner and indulges himself in eating his favorite food, but he feels guilty afterward and vomits it out. Tariq catches him in the act so Matt tells him about his anorexia. They break up after an argument when Matt refuses to confront his eating disorder and Tariq refuses to come out.
Upon learning that his mother was fired from her job at the slaughterhouse, Matt, in a semi-addled state, uses his powers to release all the pigs and orders them to rampage the town. He tries to lead them to his father's location so they would kill him, but he loses energy and is stopped by Maya, who hears his call.
Matt ends up in a rehabilitation center for his eating disorder. Maya reveals that their mother was in an abusive relationship with their father, and that Maya wanted to visit him. When she met him she freaked out and attacked him with a hot coffee pot, and her disappearance was because she was afraid of getting caught. Matt, Maya, and their mother all reconcile, with his mother revealing that she has a new job of repairing the town from the rampage. Matt and Tariq decide to stay as friends.
Matt has recovered from his anorexia. He finds a stray pig in the woods and realizes he still possesses powers to communicate with it, even without starving himself. He has his epiphany: he may have first gotten his powers through hate, but it came back stronger through love.
The Art of Starving won the 2018 Andre Norton Award, [1] and was a finalist for the 2018 Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book. [2]
Kirkus Reviews called it a "dark and lovely tale of supernatural vengeance and self-destruction", and described Matt's superpowers as "trippy". [3] Publishers Weekly lauded Miller for being "brutally honest" in describing the long-term physical effects of anorexia. [4] Tor.com noted that, when compared to other works about eating disorders, it was "too tongue-in-cheek and bizarre" to be a standard morality tale. [5]
Promotion of anorexia is the promotion of behaviors related to the eating disorder anorexia nervosa. It is often referred to simply as pro-ana or ana. The lesser-used term pro-mia refers likewise to bulimia nervosa and is sometimes used interchangeably with pro-ana. Pro-ana groups differ widely in their stances. Most claim that they exist mainly as a non-judgmental environment for anorexics; a place to turn to, to discuss their illness, and to support those who choose to enter recovery. Others deny anorexia nervosa is a mental illness and claim instead that it is a lifestyle choice that should be respected by doctors and family.
Starved is an American television sitcom that aired for one season on FX for seven episodes in 2005. The series was about four friends who each suffer from eating disorders, who met at a "shame-based" support group called Belt Tighteners. Its characters included those with bulimia, anorexia, and binge eating disorder. Eric Schaeffer created the show as well as writing, starring in and directing it, based upon his own struggle with eating disorders. In addition to his own life experiences, Schaeffer also drew upon the experiences of the other members of the principal cast, each of whom coincidentally had struggled with food issues of their own.
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Life As We Knew It is a young adult science fiction novel by American author Susan Beth Pfeffer, first published in 2006 by Harcourt Books. It is the first book in The Last Survivors series, followed by The Dead and the Gone. When an asteroid hits the Moon and brings it closer to Earth, life in Northeastern Pennsylvania will never be the same again for Miranda and her family. The lack of food and extreme cold provides major threats to their survival.
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Anorexia mirabilis, also known as holy anorexia or inedia prodigiosa or colloquially as fasting girls, is an eating disorder, similar to that of anorexia nervosa, that was common in, but not restricted to, the Middle Ages in Europe, largely affecting Catholic nuns and religious women. Self-starvation was common among religious women, as a way to imitate the suffering of Jesus in his torments during the Passion, as women were largely restricted to causing themselves voluntary pain by fasting, whereas holy men experienced suffering through physical punishment.
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Wintergirls (2009) is a realistic fiction novel by the American author Laurie Halse Anderson. The novel was published in 2009 by Viking. The story focuses on a girl, Lia Overbrook, who suffers from anorexia and self harm. Lia struggles to cope with her mental illness while balancing everything else going on in her life. Some months after a fall out with her best friend Cassie, Lia receives the news that she has died from bulimia. This complicates Lia's life even more and forces her to confront her own illness.
To the Bone is a 2017 American drama film, written and directed by Marti Noxon. The film follows a young woman, portrayed by Lily Collins, as she battles anorexia. The film premiered in competition at the Sundance Film Festival on January 22, 2017, as a contender in the U.S. Dramatic Competition. It was released worldwide on Netflix on July 14, 2017. Netflix's release of the film was met with controversy, with some arguing that the film glamorises anorexia.
Sam J. Miller is an American science fiction, fantasy and horror short fiction author. His stories have appeared in publications such as Clarkesworld, Asimov's Science Fiction, and Lightspeed, along with over 15 "year's best" story collections. He was finalist for multiple Nebula Awards along with the World Fantasy and Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Awards. He won the 2013 Shirley Jackson Award for his short story "57 Reasons for the Slate Quarry Suicides." His debut novel, The Art of Starving, was published in 2017 and his novel Blackfish City won the 2019 John W. Campbell Memorial Award.
Planesrunner is a 2011 young adult science fiction novel by British author Ian McDonald, and the first installment of the Everness series. The book follows British teenager Everett Singh as he travels between alternate universes in search of his missing theoretical physicist father.
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