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Two Girls, Fat and Thin

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( 2,459 ratings, 273 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Two Girls, Fat and Thin by Mary Gaitskill delves into the lives of two women, Dorothy and Justine, who have endured complex pasts. Meeting through a magazine interview, Dorothy is drawn into Justine's world of idiosyncratic ideologies and media influence. The narrative explores themes of identity, power, and the intricate dynamics of their unexpected friendship, offering a poignant look at personal transformation.
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you enjoy exploring complex psychological landscapes and intricate character studies. Featuring themes of friendship, trauma, and identity, it navigates the lives of two women whose pasts intertwine as they delve into their personal histories. Ideal for readers who appreciate deep, introspective narratives that challenge and provoke thought.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

A classic novel exploring loneliness and the nature of connection, from the bestselling author of Bad Behaviour.

Dorothy Never—fat—lives alone in New York, spending her days alone ever since the downfall of her guru, the Ayn Rand-like Anna Granite. Justine Shade—thin—finds herself only able to connect with people who will hurt her and is writing an article about Anna Granite, her philosophy of Definitism, and her loyal followers.

They are drawn together with an intense magnetism. As we learn the stories of their lives, we understand the extent to which each girl is shaped by the dark trauma of their childhoods. In a magnificently incisive psychological portrait, Mary Gaitskill forensically draws threads that show how these characters search for connection in a world that has damaged them so.

Series: Penguin Modern Classics

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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Two Girls, Fat and Thin by Mary Gaitskill is acclaimed for its intense psychological depth and stark exploration of themes such as trauma and friendship. Reviewers often highlight the book's intricate character development and thought-provoking narrative, noting its unflinching portrayal of emotional complexities and power dynamics. Gaitskill's prose is often described as sharp and incisive, making this novel a compelling read for those interested in gritty, character-driven stories.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780241464151

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 01 April 2021

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Penguin Classics

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 18.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 236g

Pages: 320

About the Author

Mary Gaitskill is the author of the story collections Bad Behavior, Because They Wanted To (nominated for the PEN/Faulkner Award), and Don't Cry, the novels The Mare, Veronica (nominated for the National Book Award), Two Girls, Fat and Thin, and a collection of essays, Somebody with A Little Hammer. Her stories and essays have appeared in the New Yorker, Harper's, Artforum, and Granta, among many other journals, as well as in The Best American Short Stories and The O. Henry Prize Stories.

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  • Lost Cat
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