Content levels
Trigger warnings
Positive tags
Heroine archetypes
Protagonist archetypes
Synopsis
The Edible Woman, a 1969 novel that helped to establish Margaret Atwood as a prose writer of major significance, is the story of a young woman whose sane, structured, consumer-oriented world suddenly slips strangely out of focus. Following her engagement, Marian feels her body and her self are becoming separated. As Marian begins endowing food with human qualities that cause her to identify with it, she finds herself unable to eat, repelled by metaphorical cannibalism. Atwood explores gender stereotypes through characters who strictly adhere to them, such as Peter or Lucy, and those who defy their constraints, such as Ainsley or Trevor. The narrative point of view shifts from first to third person, accentuating Marion's slow detachment from reality.
Is The Edible Woman appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 16 and up.
A psychologically complex exploration of a young woman's mental breakdown manifesting as an inability to eat. Contains mature themes about gender, identity, and mental health, including disordered eating and dissociation that require emotional maturity to process.
What to know going in
This book has no graphic violence, mild sexual content, and mild language. Content notes include eating disorders, body image issues, and dissociation (see the full list above).
Who'll love this
Older teens interested in psychological depth and feminist classics will appreciate this surreal exploration of identity and societal pressures.