Fat

by Regina Hofer, Natascha Hoffmeyer (Translation)

At sixteen, Regina began cutting back on meals to the point where her hair started to fall out.  Later, she began to secretly binge at night while her family slept. For a long time, she was able to keep her eating disorder a secret, though hiding her problem didn't stop it from harming her emotional and physical well-being. The pressures of wanting to succeed as an artist led her to a nervous breakdown and finally a strong desire to start from scratch.

In Fat, Austrian-born author and artist Regina Hofer documents her battle with anorexia and bulimia. This powerful and imaginative graphic novel follows Regina from her childhood home in Upper Austria, where food and family mealtimes were often associated with feelings of personal failure, to art school at the Mozarteum University Salzburg and a violent reckoning with her dysfunctional family.

Vivid and courageous, this memoir will resonate with anyone living through or seeking to understand what it is like to live with an eating disorder.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Memoir, Comics, Nonfiction, Art

120 pages, Paperback

First published March 5, 2018

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Regina Hofer takes you on a journey of self destruction when anorexia/bulimia (A/B) insidiously take over her life. I would strongly suggest this book for anyone who is dealing with A/B; or if you have family/friends dealing with A/B. This really opened my eyes to how destructive A/B can be when you do not have a group of people around you who support you.

[Alexander Peterhans · Rating 4 out of 5]

A harrowing and raw graphic memoir, a viscerally confrontational look back at the author's youth, when and how she developed anorexia and boulimia.

(When I say 'confrontational', I mean that's how reading the book hit me, I'm not saying that is the author's intention.)



She illustrates her story with a swathe of imagery, stark and monochromatic. Sometimes the illustrations seem unrelated to the narration, which then suddenly snap into place, adding a visceral effect to the story Hofer tells.



To me there's a definite sense of evasion in the book - that Hofer tries to escape, escape her family, escape to the city, escape through bingeing food, escape into art.



I have mental health issues myself, some related to food (albeit nowhere as difficult as Hofer's), and I distinctly recognise that sense of wanting to get away, like someone who is drowning tries to reach the surface for air.

(Kindly received an ARC from Graphic Mundi through Edelweiss)

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

An Austrian woman writes of her struggles with eating disorders on her journey to becoming an artist. It's filled with poetic asides and images that are abstract, tangential, or outright random -- the sort of stuff that just doesn't appeal to me in graphic memoirs.

[Chloe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much in the way of Maus, I did feel the ability to convey confusion and discomfort through image more effectively than through words. But I will say that my strategy of picking at random in the graphic novel section of libraries whatever art house one- off that catches my eye does attract a certain quality of “unfinished narrative” that is at the very least notable, and dare I say unsatisfying.

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eating disorders and abuse make for a tough read. I was mesmerized by the black and white illustrations. I didn’t need to understand everything to recognize the brilliance.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oof, this was a tough one. CW for eating disorders and abuse

First off, this is one of those graphic novels where I could really benefit from the author holding my hand and explaining most of it. Even upon a re-read, this is just a book for getting someone else to read so you can figure it out together.

She writes about eating disorders in a way that is honest, with a drawing style that basically reflects the crude nature of something so raw as trying to expel your stomach contents from your body. The narrative is a bit... non-narrative, if that makes sense; it's more stream-of-conscious-y, recounting memories of her eating disorders, going to art school, and problems with her father. If this were a painting, it would be abstract or surreal; sometimes the drawings are obvious and sometimes they are not. Like, literally- some of them I really don't know what they mean, or I can only guess.

And I've spent the last ten minutes or so trying to get the connection to Henry V that she ends the book with, and... I'm not sure. Again, I need her to walk me through it. :) It's worth a perusal if you have an interest in the topic and/or don't mind the art style being one that makes you work a little harder to understand it.

[Lisa]

While I did not find this book too challenging/disturbing to read, I find that I can't approach it critically. I did not like reading this book, but I don't think it's bad. Some of the imagery was arresting, and it certainly makes an impression.

[Liralen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting art style—abstract at times, making heavy use of negative space at others. I'd have liked to see more use of place, since I don't see a tonne of books set in Austria. Probably aimed more at readers with an interest in art than at readers with an interest in graphic novels/memoirs.

[✨ Aaron Jeffery ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was kinda strange. The illustrations were all over the place. This could be a trigger warning for young teens. The acts of anorexia and bulimia were very descriptive.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is tough one to review. It's a memoir of suffering from an eating disorder, but one written from inside the malady. There's no resolution to the illness that one would expect. Indeed, there's barely, beyond the act of confession inherent in writing, any acknowledgment that the author needs to change at all. But beyond the bare, brutal facts of what the author suffers from, there's little for the reader to grab on to. Hofer's life remains opaque, so often abstracted behind random images or straightforward narration of her often brutal circumstances. In spite of how deeply she opens up, her story feels very surface level as a result, and it's one that less ends than stops, as if she ran out of pages. It's an admirable effort, but it feels incomplete as a work in of itself.

[Israel · Rating 3 out of 5]

CW: physical and verbal abuse, dysfunctional family, eating disorder, suicide

Very visceral and provides straight forward depiction about the author's eating disorder. She does not hold back. The narrative/story as a whole moves as a "stream of consciousness" rather than a more structured organization. A bit abstract at times with the author's drawing portraying her story.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hofer backdrops her experiences with anorexia nervosa against sequences of haunting woodblock print-like images, guiding the reader into an abstract world of familial and psychological dread.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 3 out of 5]

A graphic memoir, first book, yay, by Austrian-born illustrator and animator Regina Hofer, a four-panel (per page, square) project, monochrome format. Inventive, symbolic, minimalist. Tough to read because the art is spare and stark, but mostly because the story is about her pretty much life-long struggles with eating disorders (in part tied to abuse), even as she gains arttstic/professional recognition. Important to read if this is an issue for you or if you have a friend or family member struggling with these issues. I have by now read several such books, some of them graphic memoirs, and they are similarly honest, graphic, and wrenching. And important.

[Gabriel Noel · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC Translation give by Edelweiss+ for Honest Review

A deeply moving graphic memoir of Hofer's journey with mental illness, an eating disorder, and a toxic family situation. The illustrations are stark and inky which lends atmosphere to the story. Some images can be mildly disturbing and the premise is a common trigger so it's important to practice self care before, during, and after reading.

[Keen Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

“I am hungry, and I’m afraid to eat.”

Hofer isn’t afraid to get into some really dark and introspective terrain in this confessional memoir. Initially you are almost confronted by the crude nature of the drawing and the limited colour palette, but as you go deeper, you discover that this all adds to the mood and feel of her story - and it has a blunt and harsh impact upon the senses.

“What all anorexics have in common are the big, restless eyes.”

[Salamanderinspace · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is familiar. I've had struggles with disordered eating and this feels right. I hope this book helps some people heal, especially the author.

The art is kind of bland and misshapen? I usually like high contrast art and abstract art but I felt like I just wasn't understanding what these pictures were supposed to be.

Story touches on parental abuse but I wish it would have gone deeper. It just slips into weird poetry with no climax and no catharsis.

[Sara Wadford · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a difficult book to read, not because it was poorly written - but because it was so raw and personal. This is an amazing story of one person’s personal struggles with eating disorders and is so necessary.

[Arminzerella · Rating 2 out of 5]

The description of this autobiographical graphic novel did not live up to its promise. Some of the images were not decipherable to me/could not figure out what they were or what was meant by them. The overall atmosphere was appropriately dark (scary, weird, disturbing), however. Ends abruptly.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful and painfully rendered story of a young woman suffering from eating disorders as a result of childhood trauma. This is not your typical graphic novel or comic. The black and white images are stark, often abstract reflections of the artist's inner pain and shattered memories.

[Alyvia Green · Rating 1 out of 5]

This graphic novel is *terrible*, the drawings are bad and don't make sense, you cant even tell what some of them are supposed to be
The text makes very little sense and jumps around subject wise
F**king terrible don't waste your time or money

[Maritza Valle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nooooooope.


Like…. A horrible (to endure, not “poorly communicated”) graphic depiction of various levels of atrocities and traumas with no resolution or even hint at recovery?

Once again I am not saying this is bad but there’s NO ONE to whom I’d recommend it.

[Max · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve never seen an illustration style like this. It was quite spooky and off putting but fit well with the theme of the book. I know it’s short but I feel like the story bopped around too much. Raw and real story though

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[Clementino D’Wooliesocks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very relatable and important content, but I wish I liked the author’s illustration style more

[The_J · Rating 1 out of 5]

I would never question the sincerity of the narrative or the self-absorbed diatribe; However, taking it at face value, at least the simplistic art was matched with a whiny script.

[Matt Holman · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you have any issues with food, this book will speak to you. Incredible illustrations and descriptions, but incredibly dark, with hardly any light. Also has a very, very abrupt ending.

[Kyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting. Very sad. C

[Zach Dionne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very affecting and captivating and intense graphic memoir by an Austrian writer. Definitely seek it out, shoutout to the Chapel Hill Public Library for eternal good discoveries.