The Fattening Hut

By Pat Lowery Collins

Book Overview

Helen doesn't want to stay in the fattening hut. She's told her mother that she's too young, not ready for it. Why must she marry so soon--and gorge on rich meals for months, until she's heavy and round, like a good bride? Like her mother and sister before her, like all the women of her tribe.

When she learns the terrible secret the fattening hut harbors, Helen becomes even more defiant and confused. Lonely, scared, and feeling confined by her family, culture, and tradition, she fights for a chance to be educated, young, and free.

The Fattening Hut is a lyrical and timeless tale about a teenage girl who struggles to reclaim her independence, her body, and her soul.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 061855209X
• ISBN13: 9780618552092
• Release Date: May 2005
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
• Length: 185 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.2" x 8.0"
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher

Customer Reviews

Original and intense

Written in verse, the story follows a girl on the verge of maturity. She belongs to a tribe of people living on an island. When girls are of marriageable age, they are isolated in a fattening hut where the other women feed the girls until they are fat and attractive for their husband. Helen does not want to eat and she doesn't gain weight much to her family's disgrace. What's more, her aunt who has been disowned by the tribe for her English-influenced ways, is hinting that Helen must run. Something worse than being fattened for marriage is to come!Wow! Intense and beautifully written story about a difficult subject and wonderfully handled! I loved Helen and her bravery and strength in fighting what is expected of her. This is now my favorite novel by this author.