Women Like Us: A Memoir

In this immensely inspiring work, British novelist Prowse (What Have I Done?) reflects on the bodily struggles that bled into her successful writing career. Though she fell in love with literature at a young age—discovering her “happy place” between the rows of books at her local library in mid-1970s London—no fictional world could provide a total escape from the physical burdens Prowse faced. In heart-wrenching flashbacks, she recounts the multiple childhood surgeries she underwent due to a congenital defect, the sexual abuse she suffered as a young teenager, a failed marriage in her 20s, and, most resonantly, the decades-long struggle with body image issues, prompted by impossible cultural beauty standards, that spun her through life-threatening cycles of anorexia and overeating: “From my mid to late twenties,” she recalls, “My daily calorie intake was well below what is necessary for optimum function.” It wasn’t until her 50s, with several bestselling books under her belt, that Prowse resolved to “break the mental shackles” of her toxic rituals around eating to reframe the way she viewed food, swear off diets, and give herself permission to adapt a realistic approach to healthier eating habits. Told with clarity and vulnerability, Prowse’s story of overcoming cultural norms to accept herself arrives as a much-needed corrective in an age of filtered beauty. (Sept.)