FatLand: A Novel

by Frannie Zellman

Volume 1 of The FatLand Trilogy. In the near future the Pro-Health Laws of the United States of America have become so oppressive that people seeking freedom over their bodies have established a new country. In FatLand, life is good and scales are forbidden. Free from the hatred and discrimination of the Other Side, FatLanders have built happy, productive lives. But not everyone is flourishing.Soon a group of FatLanders and freedom fighters on the Other Side will face forces threatening the health and happiness of all.

220 pages, Paperback

First published January 15, 2009

Reviews

[Kazza · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book, but found it impossible to do so. What was supposed to be an idyllic dreamland where fat people could live their lives free from judgement and shame became, by the end, a dystopian nightmare. The society in this novel bordered on fascistic, with severely protectionist policies and requiring strict adherence to their radical fat-positive politics. The fat-positivity (as opposed to body acceptance) is so profound in this new society that the thin daughter of two of the main characters finds it wholly invalidating. She escapes to the very place her parents left in order to find acceptance (which in this book seems to be defined by being sexually attractive, rather than by any other standard). In addition to fetishizing large bodies, the society Zellman creates also fetishizes the archetype of the hero. While all societies do this to some extent, it is clear that this society takes it to extreme levels, as illustrated by the children of the main characters. These children (and several other characters) are all so obsessed with being heroic that they engage in all kinds of risky behaviors, none of which end well for them. The Fatland in this novel is not a place where all people can live their lives in peace free from body judgement and oppressive legislation, but instead a place where they must be fat and must achieve greatness to prove that fat is better than thin. (Although who they are proving this to is unclear. Is it themselves due to internalized fatphobia or is it a reactionary response toward their former homeland? And, if it is the latter, why bother? They have their own country now, where apparently they are all having a great time eating and having fulfilling sex. Do they really need to bother with the other place? It's like trying to prove one's value to an ex from twenty years ago. Get over it an on with your life.) Aside from these problematic themes, the book was poorly written and edited. There were numerous typos, gaps in the story and leaps in storyline logic that made me wonder if this was the result of Zellman's 2009 NaNoWriMo project. I made it to the end, but was extremely disappointed. If anyone has knowledge of novels that include themes of body acceptance without shaming or fetishizing any specific characteristics, please let me know. I am looking for suggestions.