The Girls of 17 Swann Street by Yara Zgheib
5 stars
Anna is a dancer, married to Matthias, and together they are
young and in love and happy. Until the
pressure of dance, injury and the ever-constant focus on thin ness, a loss of
her position in a Parisian Ballet company, and a job offer for Matthias takes
them from their home in Paris to St Louis, Missouri. Her life dwindles without dance, and with
Matthias working long hours. Her eating
dwindles too, until she is so sick she goes to 17 Swann Street, a
rehabilitation house for eating disorders.
Told in first person narrative, with intermittent reposts from the
recovery team, The Girls of 17 Swann Street is a heartbreaking, yet hopeful
book. The girls who live in the house care for Anna, and cheer her on, even if
they can’t do it for themselves.
The novel is so well written, the reader will cringe with
each bite that Anna must take of the foods she’s eliminated one by one. The
calorie goals seem huge, but Anna gains slowly. We learn of the terrifying
effects self-starvation has on the body and the very human psychology that
deludes those with eating disorders.
Yet ultimately, this is a love story. Of Anna and Matthias, of the girls for one
another, but ultimately, one woman’s desire to reclaim life. A compelling read.
I received this book from Net Galley with no strings, but I wanted to review it.
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