SOLVED. Poor English girl goes to college in the early 1970s, develops anorexia [s]

[Taryn]

I read this book in 2012 or 2013 in a high school Women's literature class, in paper back. It's mainly targetted at adults, but follows a woman from a poor town in England through part of her childhood and then mainly focuses on her life in college. She goes to college with two girls from her hometown, one of which is her best friend and roommate, the other the daughter of immigrants who is very strange. It sights the Chappaquiddick incident as the time marker for when they start college I believe.
The best friend character is very worldly and cool, and at one point is revealed to have probably gotten an abortion when she knows how to care for another girl in the dorm who also got an abortion.
The main character develops anorexia in college, reasons given that the food in the dining hall is near inedible, that she can't afford to buy much food, and she feels that the other women in the dining hall are judging her and how she eats. She always makes a big deal about how much toast with how much butter she has for breakfast. While this is happening, she is obsessing over the strange behavior of the girl who has essentially become her enemy from her hometown, the daughter of immigrants. She knows this girl should be starving because she can't afford to buy practically any food, but she gets progressively more overweight through the novel.
At the end it is revealed that the strange girl is pregnant and that she probably set fire to the dorm. It ends with all the college girls watching the dorm burn, and then with the modern main character reflecting briefly on her life and how her anorexia ended.
I remember many more details about the plot, I just have no idea about the title or author.

[Tab]

An Experiment in Love by Hilary Mantel fits

[Kaion]

If that isn't it, consider contacting your old teacher/classmates.

[Taryn]

It's definitely An Experiment in Love, thanks!

[Tab]

you're welcome!