About this item

*A BookMovement Group Read* Yara Zgheib's poetic and poignant debut novel is a haunting portrait of a young woman's struggle with anorexia on an intimate journey to reclaim her life. The chocolate went first, then the cheese, the fries, the ice cream. The bread was more difficult, but if she could just lose a little more weight, perhaps she would make the soloists' list. Perhaps if she were lighter, danced better, tried harder, she would be good enough. Perhaps if she just ran for one more mile, lost just one more pound.Anna Roux was a professional dancer who followed the man of her dreams from Paris to Missouri. There, alone with her biggest fears - imperfection, failure, loneliness - she spirals down anorexia and depression till she weighs a mere eighty-eight pounds. Forced to seek treatment, she is admitted as a patient at 17 Swann Street, a peach pink house where pale, fragile women with life-threatening eating disorders live. Women like Emm, the veteran; quiet Valerie; Julia, always hungry. Together, they must fight their diseases and face six meals a day.Every bite causes anxiety. Every flavor induces guilt. And every step Anna takes toward recovery will require strength, endurance, and the support of the girls at 17 Swann Street.



About the Author

Yara Zgheib

Yara is a writer, poet, traveler, lover of art and jazz. She was born in Beirut and has pieces of her heart in Paris, London, Boston, and one particularly beautiful Tuscan village.She is the author of two novels, "The Girls at 17 Swann Street" and "No Land to Light On," and two collections of poetry in the albums "Dust and Ions," and "City Rhapsodies, Vol. I". Also, every Thursday, she posts an essay on "The non-Utilitarian:" thoughts on art and life. Her writings are neither practical nor useful. They are a way of being. Find them at yarazgheib.comHer writing has also appeared in The Huffington Post, Lithub, The Four Seasons Magazine, HOLIDAY, Glimmer Train, The European, and elsewhere.



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