Beyond the Surface is a young adult mental health centered book club created by myself and fellow blogger Indy to help spread awareness and discussion about mental health.

This club which began in August began while first reading My Heart and Other Black Holes and then The Goldfish Boy has been something that has grown to be very close to my heart.

For October, Indy has chosen one of my most anticipated novels of this year, The Art of Starving centered around a boy with an eating disorder.

The Art of Starving by Sam J. Miller

“More Happy Than Not meets Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future in this gritty, contemporary YA debut about a bullied gay teen boy with an eating disorder who believes he’s developed super powers via starvation.

Matt hasn’t eaten in days.

His stomach stabs and twists inside, pleading for a meal. But Matt won’t give in. The hunger clears his mind, keeps him sharp—and he needs to be as sharp as possible if he’s going to find out just how Tariq and his band of high school bullies drove his sister, Maya, away.

Matt’s hardworking mom keeps the kitchen crammed with food, but Matt can resist the siren call of casseroles and cookies because he has discovered something: the less he eats the more he seems to have . . . powers. The ability to see things he shouldn’t be able to see. The knack of tuning in to thoughts right out of people’s heads. Maybe even the authority to bend time and space.

So what is lunch, really, compared to the secrets of the universe?

Matt decides to infiltrate Tariq’s life, then use his powers to uncover what happened to Maya. All he needs to do is keep the hunger and longing at bay. No problem. But Matt doesn’t realize there are many kinds of hunger… and he isn’t in control of all of them.

A darkly funny, moving story of body image, addiction, friendship, and love, Sam J. Miller’s debut novel will resonate with any reader who’s ever craved the power that comes with self-acceptance.”

Why I am excited for this book:

• It is magical realism mixed with mental health creating something extraordinary and I can just feel with my soul that this is going to be a beautiful novel.
• I read the first chapter on epic reads first 5 and the writing in just that first chapter was impeccable.
• It is an LGBT read and we all need to read more novels with LGBT representation.
• The whole premise of this book is fascinating to me and I really want to see how the author handles the eating disorder while mixing in magical elements.
• That cover is my kind of aesthetically pleasing… I mean just look at how simple yet gorgeous it is!!!

Interested in joining the Beyond the Surface Book Club and being a part of our discussions during the month? Click here to join on Goodreads!

Thanks for reading! I’m so excited to read this book and discuss it with all of you at the end of the month!!!

-Till next time!