“Sugar” Brings a Stereotype to Life

 My, what a wonderful thing Ms. Hall has done. She took the stereotypical “fat girl” and turned her into a complicated, flesh-and-blood human being.

You know what I’m talking about. In movies and books the “fat girl” is usually a background character whose sole purpose is for comic relief. She’s not taken seriously or even treated like a real person. Why is it that something as trivial as size should define a person or make them worth less than anyone else?

This book humanized the main character, Sugar. Sugar is undeniably overweight, but there’s so much more to her than meets the eye. We are able to see her struggles, fears, and insecurities that fuel her constant need to eat firsthand through her complex mind.

And what a complicated character she is. Sugar worries about her morbidly obese mother who can’t even get out of bed. She has a crush on a boy who she thinks could never possibly like her back. She’s also lonely and depressed.

Ever since she was a young girl, Sugar has been bullied. Kids insult and laugh at her daily. She no longer takes the bus to school because she got pelted by marshmallows whenever she took a seat. But the worst part is that her own family puts her down, too.

At first when Even was introduced I loved him. He was the first person who was genuinely kind to Sugar. Even was just the person Sugar needed to build her self-esteem. When Sugar hesitantly began liking her smile or hair after Even complimented her I was mentally cheering her on.

But after a while, I began to notice that Even wasn't showing any insecurities. He didn’t have any flaws, never messed up, and always said just the right thing to Sugar. He acted too much like the perfect gentleman.

This bothered me more and more as the story went on. Even felt more like a caricature than a real person. I liked that he didn’t judge Sugar for her size and helped build her confidence, but I wish he’d had more depth.

Even’s flat character kind of surprised me, too, because Sugar herself was so complex. Her intricate thoughts were what made her such an interesting character. Her story may have been simple, but it was totally compelling when led by such a fascinating and multi-layered protagonist.