My Good Bright Wolf

CW: disordered eating, suicidal ideationFever dream memoir by British novelist Sarah Moss, with a focus on her lifelong struggle with anorexia. I was immediately hooked by the book's first section, which inserts harsh self-rebuttals of Moss's own memories as they are related. Yes, her parents were neglectful and often cruel, but the inner voice accuses Moss of being an ungrateful liar, a privileged white woman from a solidly middle class family who does not deserve to complain. It's harsh but oh so relatable. As the book goes on, the self-critical voice appears less and less often, and a protective wolf familiar takes its place, encouraging Moss to look back and allow her younger self some grace. The book's darkness is also balanced by Moss's academic but accessible thoughts on [b:Little Women 1934 Little Women Louisa May Alcott https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1562690475l/1934.SY75.jpg 3244642], [b:Jane Eyre 10210 Jane Eyre Charlotte Brontë https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1557343311l/10210.SY75.jpg 2977639], [b:Little House on the Prairie 77767 Little House on the Prairie (Little House, #3) Laura Ingalls Wilder https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1559209202l/77767.SX50.jpg 2884161], and other books of her youth (and mine). Having been inside the author's troubled mind, I'm not sure I want to read any of her critically acclaimed novels, but this memoir was somehow a perfect mix of disturbing and hopeful.