Blog Tour Book Review - 'The Food of Love' by Amanda Prowse.

I am thrilled to be part of the Blog Tour for The Food of Love by Amanda Prowse.  One of the UK's most well-loved authors of family fiction, I was honoured to receive a review copy of her latest novel.  Read on for my review and check out all the other stops along her tour...

MY REVIEW

Freya and Lockie Braithwaite are happily married with two fantastic teenage daughters, Charlotte and Lexi.  Freya spends her days working as a freelance food writer and Lockie is a photographer. Their girls are surrounded by love and affection and life is great.  All that begins to crumble when Freya receives a phone call from Lexi's school.  The Braithwaites are plunged into despair as they discover their daughter is battling an eating disorder.  Suddenly, food becomes the enemy for more than just Lexi, as the family begin to resent mealtimes and all the pain which ensues. Life, love and family are all examined in this heart-warming and emotional read.

Most parents know all there is to know about their kids, right? Maybe not.  A person who has something to hide knows every trick in the book to ensure their secret is hidden.  When the secret is an eating disorder, the sufferer can deceive even the ones who love them the most.  Lexi is fifteen years old and has grown up in a loving family environment, adored by her parents, sister and grandparents.  She has friends, a good social life and no apparent reason to worry about her weight.  However, the disease (and make no mistake, anorexia IS a disease) has taken over her body and mind. It has also taken over the lives of her loved-ones.  Her mother is initially in denial and thinks a few changes to her weekly shop can sort Lexi's problem out and she genuinely believes a mother's love is all-powerful.  To begin with, Lockie thinks his wife's pandering attitude to Lexi is a bit extreme and thinks some tough-love might be more appropriate.  But when Lexi's weight continues to drop well-below the healthy BMI range, they soon realise that medical intervention is required.  Charlotte is a victim of her sister's illness, as she is basically left to her own devices during her final year of school.  The whole family is fractured and each day gets dangerously worse. Lies are told, hearts are broken and the disease finally takes over completely. 

Amanda Prowse has a way of drawing you into family dramas in a unique way.  Her warm, affectionate tone is balanced with the harsh realities of life and she doesn't shy away from controversial topics.  Lexi's story is by no means anything new. Anorexia has been recorded in medical journals since the 1600s and even Mary Queen of Scots was rumoured to have been a sufferer.  But, in the days of internet access and mass media being such a huge part of young girls lives, things have reached an alarming level. Pro-Ana sites where body-conscious girls (and boys) can pick up tips and encourage each other to painfully and lethally lose weight are all over the internet. Runway models and magazines depicting images of unhealthy looking role-models are everywhere.  It is a mother's nightmare.  We can't stop our kids from seeing these things.  We can't watch them every minute of the day.  We can only try to protect them in the best way we know how.  This novel shows that even the most loving family can be fooled into believing everything is ok. We are only human, we say things without realising the long-term effects, we pander to our children's food fads and desire to appear more fit and beautiful, but we forget that they can also keep a lot from us, should they choose to.  Prowse has not sugar coated this story, there are shocking scenes and plenty of weepy moments.  However, there is an element of eye-opening clarity that lingers after reading.  It will make you think twice about commenting on someone's eating habits or presuming that it could never happen to one of your own children.  Because it could. Every single person who has suffered with anorexia has a mother and a father.  Every single one of them has lied and fooled their family and friends.  This will never change. It has been medically recorded for more than 500 years, and it is not going away anytime soon. I think every mother, father and young adult could learn a lot from this book.  The ending was not what I expected and I would have perhaps liked a little more clarity. That said, I would highly recommend this book. In fact, I have passed it to my husband, as we are the parents of four girls and a boy. There but for the grace of God go I...

The Food of Love is published by Lake Union Publishing and is available in  PB and ebook format.  you can order your copy via amazon link below: