SOLVED through the power of obsessive Googling: Female protagonist, friends with a skinny male PhD student who is taking ages to finish his dissertation. He's a minor character. [s]

[Ashley]

Read this book when I was in a college course in 2008-ish. The book is definitely 20th century, probably post-1970s.

The book centers upon the female protagonist, but she is friends with this PhD student and he's all I remember about the book. I believe that they end up sleeping together at least once.

Random detail that sticks out to me is that the PhD student is extraordinarily thin. Very skinny. And he has books all over his tiny apartment and when asked what his dissertation is about, he garbles nonsense. Hasn't seen his adviser in a long time, maybe years.

This is a novel, probably around 250 pages in length. I am 80% sure that it was written by a female author. I read it (I think!) in a class on contemporary fiction, which I know doesn't help much.

Update: I just remembered that I read it for a women's studies class! It was a class on mid-century feminism, so the dates could be 60s or 70s.

[Ashley]

I'm actually quite certain about the dates now. Must be written in 1960s or early 1970s. And the detail of the man's weight seems important. Almost like he was anorexic or couldn't eat.

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

I was wondering if this was something I had read - it sounds like something I would have read, but it turns out I haven't.

[Michele]

Solved - but what book was it?

[Liralen]

The Edible Woman -- if you scroll up (to the title and 'this topic is about'), you'll see that the OP added it.

[Michele]

Ah, doesn't show up in the app. Thanks

[Michele]

"SOLVED through the power of obsessive Googling" lol