Fat Angie
By e.E. Charlton-Trujillo (2012)
Angie is broken — by her can’t-be-bothered mother, by her high-school tormenters, and by being the only one who thinks her varsity-athlete-turned-war-hero sister is still alive. Hiding under a mountain of junk food hasn’t kept the pain (or the shouts of "crazy mad cow!") away. Having failed to kill herself — in front of a gym full of kids — she’s back at high school just trying to make it through each day. That is, until the arrival of KC Romance, the kind of girl who doesn’t exist in Dryfalls, Ohio. A girl who is one hundred and ninety-nine percent wow! A girl who never sees her as Fat Angie, and who knows too well that the package doesn’t always match what’s inside.
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3 thoughts on “Fat Angie”
Fat Angie was, above all else, extremely unique. I don’t think I have ever read anything quite like this book. Even after having finished it, I’m not entirely sure how to describe the novel. While it belongs in the LBGT section, it’s also humorous. Basketball is also mentioned often. I would say this book is one of those stories that has something for everyone.
Part of what made Fat Angie so different from all other books was the style Charlton-Trujillo used to narrate her work. She put a lot of emphasis on the name “Fat Angie.” I don’t exactly know how to describe it, so I have a quote from the first page: “…Stacy Ann said to Fat Angie…Fat Angie did not like this confrontation. Fat Angie did not like Stacy Ann. Fat Angie especially did not like confrontation with Stacy Ann.” I suppose the sarcastic use of the degrading title is supposed to highlight Angie’s predicament, which is an idea I quite like. However, reading an entire book written like that is rather annoying. Personally, I would have toned down the bitter sarcasm so that I still could have gotten my point across but in a more demure manner.
What drew me into this book so much was the relationship between Angie and her only friend, KC Romance. In case nobody guessed, their friendship ultimately transforms into a literal romance. I loved how realistically their relationship was depicted; the two did not instantly connect and have a perfect love affair. Instead, Angie took time to open up and stop her incredible wariness around KC. Likewise, KC took time to understand Angie’ family and obesity problems. They didn’t have an instant connection. It was only after many awkward encounters and confessions to each other that their bond deepened. This was refreshing beyond belief because so many teenage romance novels try to combine true love and mature adult relationships. The truth is, unfortunately, no relationship can be fully mature. All couples have petty fights and rough moments. KC and Angie’s love for each other was not perfect or even true, but it was definitely real.
On the other hand, all other characters were rather stereotypical. Stacy Ann – Angie’s gym class tormentor – was a mean girl through and through. Her hate for Angie was revealed to be not as shallow as it initially seemed, yet the author did not take the time to address her character properly. Angie’s mother, meanwhile, was completely and utterly $#!% crazy, just like most mother’s in books about childhood and teenage obesity. Everything that came out of her mouth made me want to punch something. The list goes on and on. I liked that Fat Angie was centered around Angie and KC Romance, but I would have liked it if minor characters were more than plot devices.
Like I said in my introduction, this book has something for everyone, especially those who enjoy dark humour, can relate to being in an awkward conversation with someone really cool and saying everything wrong, have ever felt self-conscious about weight, or have been saved by the most unlikely person. I can answer to almost all of the above, so I have rated this book pretty highly out of the books I’ve read so far on my summer reading list.
Fat Angie is a unique novel that expresses various, potential hardships one may face and/or witness during the short yet influential journey known as high school. Trujillo accurately conveys themes of love, self discovery, bullying, sexuality, oppression, loneliness, body image, self mutilation, grief, oppression and alienation.
Main protagonist, Angie, trudges through the pain from her can’t-be-bothered mother, tormenters at school, and from being the sole believer that her varsity-basketball-turned-war-hero sister is still alive and will return home some day. Numbing her sorrows with food, fails to numb the burning memories of her attempted suicide and hurtful remarks from her regular tormenters. Life shows a glimpse of hope when Angie meets mysterious, bombshell KC Romance, somebody who knows that beauty lies skin deep.
This novel is an easy read that urges the reader to continue on. It has it’s fair share of humorous moments as well as sentimental moments. Numerous conflicts appear simultaneously, but I personally believe that none were explored to their full potential. For example, I had curiosities about Angie’s couldn’t-be-bothered mother. Her husband is gone, and one of her daughters is dead in Iraq, yet she chooses to isolate herself from her remaining children, causing her to gradually lose them as well. I’m sure many readers would appreciate discovering more about this character, as well as a few others. (Ex. Stacy Ann)
I enjoyed watching KC Romance and Angie’s relationship unfold, as Angie began to discover more about her sexuality and attraction to women, however KC Romance’s character was portrayed a little too much like a poseur who takes herself too seriously. Every time her slang was used, I cringed a little. It seemed like a horrible Nadsat argot parody mixed with 90’s slang.
It was moving to discover that Angie made the varsity basketball team, and accurately reflects her inner battle and triumph, especially when she receives her sisters old jersey and beams with pride and joy.
I’d recommend this book to anyone who wishes to fulfill their craving for an easy read that incorporate themes of alienation, sexuality, grief and more.
I definitely have mixed feelings towards Fat Angie; I feel as if Charlton-Trujillo is addressing a very important problem in our society that often gets overlooked and I feel that the book is very powerful and sends such a strong message with such impact. However, personally speaking, this book did not hold my imitate attention. Although I sympathize with those whom are at the bottom of the social food chain, I did not feel as if the characters were very well developed and were lacking in something. Fat Angie describes the struggles of a coming of age girl whom has problems accepting her insecurities (her weight problem) then, all of a sudden, a new girl shows up and takes particular interest in being friends with Fat Angie and they develop a romantic relationship. While this is all happening, Angie’s Sister is MIA in Iraqi and is presumed dead. Following her sister’s wishes, she tries out for the basketball team despite all the odds against her. This novel is truly inspirational and absolutely heartwarming and I feel as if everybody will be able to take something away from this novel. There are so many morals embedded in the plot such as not judging people because behind every single person lies a story we don’t know. This novel has made me aware that there are so many people who doubt themselves and have such low self-esteem and even the simplest acts of kindness can boost their confidence. I think that the main lesson to be learned from reading Fat Angie is that with willpower and courage, you can achieve anything you set out to do.