★★★★
Publisher: Jonathan Cape
Release Date: 3rd October 2017
Pages: 509
Genre: Graphic novel/memoir
Buy: Amazon
I was given this book by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book is Katie Green’s memoir, following her battle with an eating disorder and abuse, and all of the emotions that come with that. Because of this, this graphic novel is very hard to read in the sense that the subject matter is so dark hopelessness, that I had to keep putting the book down.
That isn’t a reflection of the quality, however, because I think she did an amazing job with conveying the hopelessness she felt in that time, even through simple drawings and minimal writing. I could completely understand what she was going through, could see reasons behind everything she did, and that made it even more heartbreaking. I know some people didn’t like how repetitive it was, but for me, the repetitiveness really brought across the concept of an eating disorder being frustrating and all-encompassing.
I will say that this book is extremely triggering. If you find anorexia, bulimia, sexual assault, or suicidal thoughts triggering, please keep in mind that Lighter Than My Shadow deals heavily with these topics, and not just in the writing but in the art too.
However, if you are in a stable place regarding eating disorders, I would definitely recommend this graphic novel.
Have you read Lighter Than My Shadow? Let me know and we can discuss!
