BEST BOOKS ON... DIETING
THE author and broadcaster suggests key novels to help you through the trickier times in life THE obsession with dieting is a relatively modern preoccupation. Few Victorian novels deal with it because, before the 20th century, thinness was a sign of poverty.
Most women wore a corset and, of course, no one bared their body on a beach. In Pride And Prejudice, no one worried about their weight, but in Bridget Jones’s Diary, a modern re-working of Jane Austen’s classic, every entry starts with a weigh in.
But has our modern, body-conscious culture made us happier, healthier or thinner?
Plum, the twentysomething seriously fat protagonist at the centre of Sarai Walker’s new novel Dietland, buys clothes in small sizes, ready for the day she can afford the gastric band surgery that will turn her into a ‘ normal’ person. She spends her days wearing shapeless black sacks, taking antidepressants and hiding from the judgmental stares and hurtful comments of other people.
Having dieted unsuccessfully, her only choice, she believes, if she wants to lead a ‘normal’ life, is surgery.
But Plum soon begins to see her problem is not her size, but her selfloathing. As she starts to take control — wearing brighter clothes, coming off the anti-depressants and fighting back when people call her names — she learns to be happy with who she is.
Modern teenagers living in a world of ‘selfies’ face more pressure than ever to look perfect, with sometimes tragic results. Leslie, the charming teen in Deborah Hautzig’s Second Star To The Right, starts to diet — then develops anorexia. This is a must-read for mothers with teenage daughters.
The novel that offers surely the most practical advice is A Far Cry From Kensington by Muriel Spark. The heroine, Mrs Hawkins, is 28 and describes herself as ‘motherly’, but when she realises people feel sorry for her, she decides to lose weight.
Her simple yet effective method? Leaving half of what she is given — be it cake, coffee or banana — on the plate. The results are dramatic — but not only to her figure. She soon stops being motherly Mrs Hawkins and becomes svelte, successful, but not nearly as likeable, Nancy.