The Art of Starving

The Art of Starving follows Matt, a gay teenager who develops an eating disorder while investigating his sister Maya's disappearance. He believes that by starving himself, he gains supernatural powers that will help him uncover the truth. The story centers on Matt's relationship with Tariq, a classmate he suspects knows something about Maya's disappearance. As Matt restricts his eating more severely, he navigates his growing feelings for Tariq while trying to maintain control over his increasingly chaotic life. Through Matt's perspective, the narrative tracks his struggle with anorexia, his first love, family dynamics, and his conviction that fasting gives him special abilities. The story takes place against the backdrop of a working-class town with a slaughterhouse at its center. The novel examines themes of control, perception, and self-destruction, blending elements of magical realism with an unflinching look at eating disorders and queer teenage experience.

Readers describe this as a raw, unflinching look at eating disorders through a queer teenage perspective. Many note the book's unique blend of magical realism with the stark reality of anorexia. Readers appreciated: - The authentic portrayal of disordered eating thoughts and behaviors - LGBTQ+ representation that feels natural rather than forced - The creative supernatural elements - Strong character development of the protagonist Matt Common criticisms: - The magical elements confuse some readers who expected strict realism - Some found the ending unsatisfying or unclear - A few readers struggled with the second-person passages Ratings: Goodreads: 3.8/5 (3,900+ ratings) Amazon: 4.2/5 (160+ ratings) "Raw and honest without being triggering," notes one Goodreads reviewer. Another writes, "The supernatural aspects felt unnecessary and detracted from the core story." Multiple readers mention the book helped them understand eating disorders from a male perspective, which they hadn't encountered before.

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🌟 The novel won the 2018 Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy, cementing its place as a groundbreaking work in speculative YA literature. 🎭 Author Sam J. Miller drew from his own experiences with an eating disorder as a gay teenager, bringing authenticity and raw emotion to Matt's character and struggles. 📚 The book challenges traditional genre boundaries by blending contemporary realistic fiction with elements of magical realism and horror - a style Miller has become known for in his other works. 🏳️‍🌈 It's one of relatively few YA novels featuring a gay male protagonist dealing with an eating disorder, addressing an often overlooked intersection of identity and mental health. 🎬 The narrative structure is influenced by Miller's background in film studies, incorporating cinematic elements and visual storytelling techniques throughout the novel's progression.