Book Review: "Milk Fed" by Melissa Broder

Thought-provoking and intense, Melissa Broder's new novel, Milk Fed, is a story of one woman’s obsession with her eating habits, as well as a look at sexuality, religion, and relationships.

Rachel has always been fanatical about what she eats. She loves food, but from a young age, her mother ingrained in her a fear of gaining weight and looking fat. Every day is spent longing for delicious delicacies, but she has a regimented meal and exercise plan that she follows obsessively.

When her therapist suggests a 90-day communication “detox” from her mother to help Rachel confront her eating issues, Rachel meets Miriam, a young, zaftig, Orthodox Jewish woman. Miriam’s apparent confidence with her body and her unabashed love of food and eating utterly appeals to Rachel, and it’s not long before she starts eating that way, too.

But old habits die hard, and Rachel finds herself torn between the obsessions deeply ingrained in her psyche and the renewed love for eating she has found with Miriam. She also finds herself completely infatuated with Miriam, both sexually and religiously, and she can’t get enough of her.

Broder is a bold writer, one who goes for broke with every word. Like her previous book, The Pisces, Broder creates intense sex scenes that are graphic, and she also is frank about biological functions and other things. But at the same time, there’s an underlying sensitivity in dealing with the issues Rachel faces, and how she needs help.

As someone who has struggled with my weight since childhood, this book hit me hard in certain ways. I recognize the obsessions, the need to subsist on a wholly unrealistic number of calories, the pressures from family about what I ate and how I looked. (I actually had a great-uncle who used to grab my stomach whenever he'd see me, as if to tell me I was fat. So amusing.) For those who have struggled with eating disorders or food-related issues or anxieties, this book may be a real trigger for you.

Broder is tremendously talented and her books always give you something to think about. Milk Fed is certainly no exception.

Dart Frogg Communications and Scribner Books gave me a complimentary advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!!