Review : Dumplin' by Julie Murphy
Title : Dumplin'
Author : Julie Murphy
Publication Date : September 15th 2015
Publisher : Harper Teen
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Self-proclaimed fat girl Willowdean Dickson (dubbed “Dumplin’” by her former beauty queen mom) has always been at home in her own skin. Her thoughts on having the ultimate bikini body? Put a bikini on your body. With her all-American beauty best friend, Ellen, by her side, things have always worked . . . until Will takes a job at Harpy’s, the local fast-food joint. There she meets Private School Bo, a hot former jock. Will isn’t surprised to find herself attracted to Bo. But she is surprised when he seems to like her back.
Instead of finding new heights of self-assurance in her relationship with Bo, Will starts to doubt herself. So she sets out to take back her confidence by doing the most horrifying thing she can imagine: entering the Miss Clover City beauty pageant—along with several other unlikely candidates—to show the world that she deserves to be up there as much as any twiggy girl does. Along the way, she’ll shock the hell out of Clover City—and maybe herself most of all.
With starry Texas nights, red candy suckers, Dolly Parton songs, and a wildly unforgettable heroine— Dumplin’ is guaranteed to steal your heart.
Personal Thoughts
Dumplin' is a very personal book to me because it hit every insecurity that I have about my body. I don't normally tear up while I'm reading a book, but this book made me want to sob into a pillow, but at the same time, it gave me so much hope and there is so much to love about the book.
I've struggled with the way my body looks for years, past my teenage years and still into adulthood. I've always been on the plus side of the weight scale. I can't remember a time when I wasn't fat. It wasn't the easiest growing up being the biggest person in kindergarten and eventually high school. I wasn't bullied per se, but hurtful comments were made about the way I looked, frequently by people who were close to me. I felt ugly. I felt repulsive. At one point, even looking at myself in reflections made my skin crawl and filled me with so much self-loathing. And I felt lonely because no one understood me. I had no one to talk to about what it was like being a fat person. I wish it were different, but people judge you when they see you're a heavy person.
For me, going to a restaurant for dinner was uncomfortable because I was scared I would be judged for eating. I hated going shopping because I was worried I would never find nice clothes that would fit me. I hated being seen in public with my thin friends because I was worried that I would look ugly next to them. Over the years, I started to shed my insecurities on the exterior, but deep down, I still had them. I still get pangs in my chest when someone mentions how "big" I've gotten over the past year or one of the most hurtful comments I've gotten "No one is going to want to be with you because of how fat you are." I know that sometimes these comments come because people care for you, but that doesn't make it any easier.
You may be wondering why I'm sharing my life-story with you in this review. That's because I wish that I had a character like Dumplin's protagonist, Willowdean, to look up to when I was younger, to give me confidence and hope that I don't have to let the way that I look rule my life. Willowdean was empowering in every way. She was comfortable in her own skin, funny, feisty and wasn't afraid to shut down others when they made fun of her or the other girls in the book. She wasn't all perfect though. She had the tendency to be selfish at times and I thought it was realistic. Watching as the insecurities seeped into her when she entered the pageant and when she was with her love interest, Bo, was painful and I wanted to give the girl a hug. I relived every sucky body-image related moment in my life while reading Dumplin'. It's safe to say, Julie Murphy captured that voice in an authentic way.
Besides being body-positive, Dumplin' was also very female-friendship oriented. Willow made some awesome new friends and I loved watching these girls bond. They were funny and loyal, and friends that every girl should have. The romance between Willowdean and her co-worker, Bo, was sweet and while it was filled with obstacles, it worked for me. Bo was wonderful and I had nothing but love for this boy. There were some minor things that I could have personally done without in Dumplin' such as the way Willowdean treated a boy who had a crush on her but who she only saw as a friend and the mean girl story with her best friend Ellen's co-worker, but that didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book.
Ultimately, Dumplin' is a great book because it teaches readers such an important life lesson: be confident with who you are and don't let prejudices and stereotypes ruin your life. Like Willow would say, "If you got it, flaunt it!".
Rating
Cover : 4/5
Plot : 4/5
Characters : 4/5
Writing : 4/5
Thank you to Edelweiss and Harper Teen for the e-ARC of Dumplin'.
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