Summary

Chapter 1 opens in Los Angeles, where the protagonist/narrator—Rachel, a Jewish woman in her twenties—lives. Rachel has an eating disorder that causes her to obsess about her weight and her food intake. She follows a strict and unchanging diet, which is her primary focus each day. She works at a talent management company. Her boss, Brett Ofer, is performativity concerned about social justice issues, but Rachel suspects he is not sincere. In Chapter 2, Rachel narrates part of her backstory. She was born and raised in New Jersey. Two of her grandparents were obese and diabetic. Rachel’s mother was obsessed with Rachel’s weight and food intake. Her mother constantly urged her to eat less and maintain a low weight. In Chapter 3, Rachel talks to a coworker named Ana. Ana praises Rachel’s thinness and shames other people’s higher weights. Ana...