Savannah’s review of Voyage of the Damned > Likes and Comments

Hello! Won't address the rest of this review, because fair enough everyone's got their opinions, but wanted to quickly mention the fatness comment. I'm sure this isn't what you meant but it comes across a little as though any overweight character who eats must have an ED - which of course, isn't true. Someone can be fat and enjoy eating and that's totally okay.

Frances White wrote a fantastic article on their blog discussing this: Frances-Writes(.)com/Post/Writing-Fat-Characters.

(CW: mentions of eating, light mention of fatphobia)

"For someone who has spent a lifetime mentally torturing myself because I dared eat a KitKat in a moment of weakness, writing a fat character who unabashedly loves food and does not feel ANY shame for it was euphoric. Dee has an ambition to eat all the cultural dishes from the empire he lives in, he also comfort eats after traumatic events (like ya know, witnessing a murder).

Writing a character who does these things isn’t me implying ‘this is healthy’ or ‘this is what all fat people do’ it is simply saying ‘this is what Dee does’. Some fat people are fat because they eat a lot, and it doesn’t make them less worthy of love, compassion, or to be the main characters in a silly magical murder mystery.

Remember, realism, not perfection. Dee and his body do not exist as a parable. He is a character who is fat and has many flaws and vices, just as skinny characters have been allowed to for so many decades. He can be lazy, he can eat chocolate and he doesn’t need to beat everyone else in hand to hand combat to be positive and valid fat representation.

Of course, there are limits. If your only fat character’s entire personality is eating a lot of food and being comic relief, you’re leaning into dangerous stereotypes. It is important to ensure they are also well rounded and developed characters in their own right. Dee also cares for children, has a skill for languages, a fabulous fashion sense and falls quick and hard in love.

I’m still on a journey of discovery, and have lots of things to learn, but I have come a long way from that writer who only ever wrote thin leads. I’m slowly learning to love my body, and Dee has no small part in that. It is my greatest hope that he also helps readers on similar journeys of acceptance."

Hope this adds a little to your experience with that particular aspect :)

Hi Elizabeth!

I really appreciate the feedback here and I totally get what you’re saying. I think for me, it was the way the others treated him. Some of the language used was triggering for someone with an ED and although Dee may not have had one you still need to be sensitive to those who read it. I love that Dee was overweight because you don’t get many of those characters who are just happy as they are, it was cathartic.

I know the world isn’t perfect and no everyone will accept you as you are but this book just hit me in a wrong way and that’s okay. Maybe it was the wrong time in my life for this one and I should try it again later.

I really do appreciate your insight though, I love hearing everyone’s point of view! 🤍