Eight And A Half Stone | Liz Jones
REVIEWED BY SUSAN WATSON
The debut comic novel of Mail on Sunday columnist Liz Jones is heartbreaking, funny, and searingly honest…
We can all identify to some extent with the age old (somewhat flawed) theory of “My life would be better if only I had more money/ lived in a bigger house/ lost a couple of pounds”. In Pam’s case, it’s the latter of the three – she believes if only she could get to her tiny target weight of eight and a half stone, all her problems would be solved.
As an unhappily married mum of twin toddlers, we see Pam gradually shrink in size over the course of the novel, mostly thanks to brutal weight loss surgery. However, as she sheds the pounds, the problems in her marriage and life in general only seem to increase tenfold as she makes a shocking discovery about her husband’s secret life and tries to juggle a new career with motherhood.
Written with a hefty dose of Liz’s trademark searing honesty, Pam’s weightloss journey is poignant, heartbreaking and funny in equal measure. Regular readers of Liz’ column won’t be able to help but notice references and similarities to some familiar characters and the novel certainly draws inspiration from Liz’s own struggles with body image and self-esteem.
Thought provoking and funny (I loved the best chocolate chart at the beginning!), this is Liz Jones’ debut comic novel – one fans are sure to enjoy.
Exclusive short story just for you
Read our exclusive short story from Liz Jones, Time To Reconnect, in this week’s issue of My Weekly – on sale now.
Eight And A Half Stone by Liz Jones is available now as an eBook priced £8.99. Available at all outlets including Apple Books and Kindle. A paperback follows in August (Matthew James Publishing Ltd.)
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Allison Hay
I joined the "My Weekly" team thirteen years ago and, more recently, "The People's Friend". I love the variety of topics we cover both online and in the magazines. I manage the digital content for the brands, sharing features and information on the website, social media and in our digital newsletters.
