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Wasted
A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia
First published 1998 · 320 pages
A visceral, unflinching descent into the claustrophobic grip of an eating disorder and the brutal fight to survive it.
What it feels like
Reading this memoir feels like being trapped inside a brilliant but dangerously self-destructive mind. The pacing is propulsive, driven by a feverish, almost manic energy that perfectly mirrors the obsessive nature of the illness it describes. It is a harrowing, claustrophobic experience, stripping away any romanticized notions of wasting away to reveal the brutal, ugly reality of addiction and compulsion. The prose is razor-sharp, visceral, and relentlessly self-aware, refusing to look away from the darkest moments of the author's descent. Despite the heavy, dread-soaked atmosphere, there is a fierce intelligence at work that keeps you glued to the page. It will deeply resonate with readers who appreciate unvarnished, brutally honest accounts of mental illness, survival, and the agonizing fight to reclaim one's own life.
- Mood
- claustrophobic
- harrowing
- feverish
- dark
- Tone
- raw
- unflinching
- cynical
- self-aware
- urgent
- Pace
- propulsive
- Themes
- illusion of control · addiction and compulsion · mind-body disconnect · destructive perfectionism · cultural pressures on women
- The writing
- Visceral, sharp, and highly articulate, the prose mirrors the manic, obsessive energy of the author's mind.
- The arc
- A terrifying, manic descent into the life-threatening depths of mental illness, culminating in a fragile, hard-won commitment to survival.
- Who it's for
- Readers drawn to brutally honest, unvarnished memoirs that explore the darkest corners of mental illness and addiction without romanticization.
Content notes
- severe eating disorders
- self-harm
- suicidal ideation
- drug use
- hospitalization
- body dysmorphia
About the book
Why would a talented young girl go through the looking glass and step into a netherworld where up is down and food is greed, where death is honor and flesh is weak? Why enter into a love affair with hunger, drugs, sex, and death? Marya Hornbacher sustains both anorexia and bulimia through five lengthy hospitalizations, endless therapy, and the loss of family, friends, jobs, and ultimately, any sense of what it means to be "normal." By the time she is in college, Hornbacher is in the grip of a bout with anorexia so horrifying that it will forever put to rest the romance of wasting away. In this vivid, emotionally wrenching memoir, she re-created the experience and illuminated that tangle of personal, family, and cultural causes underlying eating disorders. Wasted is the story of one woman's travels to the darker side of reality, and her decision to find her way back--on her own terms.
Description from Open Library.
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