The Appetites of Girls

Book excerpt: For the audience that made Commencement a New York Times bestseller comes a novel about women making their way in the world. Four young women are thrown together as roommates freshman year in college: Ruth, Francesca, Opal, and Setsu. Each is striving to overcome struggles from childhood and find her true self. Tormented by self-doubt, Ruth is coddled by her immigrant mother, who uses food to soothe and control her. Defiant Francesca believes her heavy frame shames her Park Avenue family; to provoke them, and to protect herself, she consumes everything in sight. Opal longs to be included in her glamorous, adventure-seeking mother’s dinner dates—until a disturbing encounter forever changes her desires. Finally, Setsu, a promising violinist, staves off conflict with her jealous older brother by allowing him to take away the choicest morsels from her plate—and from her future. As their stories and appetites collide, these women make a pact to maintain their friendships into adulthood—but each must first find strength and her way in the world. READERS GUIDE INSIDE