JUST ME, THE SINK & THE POT
by
Sudesna Ghosh
Blurb
Meet Pamela, an overweight girl who's looking back at her school days. From longing for a Valentine to dealing with a sibling who hates her, Pamela has a lot to deal with. She even has a special bunch of friends at home who she can turn to - but they aren't the kind of friends you'd expect. Life sucks when you're fat. Can Pamela ever be happy?
Read an excerpt of the book here...
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One day a classmate asked me, “Where is your lunch?” I told her that I had already had it and went back to my fake laughter and smiles. The others chatted and laughed while they ate from their tiffin boxes. Some brought samosas or ice cream from outside the gate. My hunger pangs got worse as I saw all the food and smelt the delicious odours around me.
The ice cream cart was run by a sweet old man who knew me since I’d started school. He would ask me some days, “Child, you don’t want your favourite orange stick?” I would say no thank you and smile before running away from him and his cart. One day he seemed to be desperate to make me have an ice cream. “Child! Come here and have an ice cream. You don’t have to pay me,” he called out. I smiled, turned around and went to hide in an empty classroom. Two minutes later, I shrieked; the old man had found me. He was carrying a dripping ice cream for me. I started laughing. Then I started running away from him. The old man started running after me!
My classmates were shocked. The sports teacher was happy to see me run for the first time – I had never run before because fat moves when you run. Everybody would laugh. The lunch break ended with me accepting the mostly melted orange stick from the kind ice cream man. We were too tired to talk about the whole event. But it did make me a bit popular that year, with the school Yearbook including the story and a picture of me running away from a 6 feet tall man holding an ice cream.
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Book Musings :
I confess that I had overlooked this book at the beginning because of the cover. Yeah, I know I am being superficial but I can't help it at times. So you are asking why I picked it up? It's solely because of the blurb. It had me thinking about the book and I had to know if Pamela was happy at the end. In hindsight, I am glad that I came across it. Now I have no words to describe what it has evoked in me. I will try my best though!
When I started the book, I didn't realise that it was in a style similar to the diary format. I am not used to it much. Except for The Diary of a Young Girl, Anne Frank, I hadn't read any in this form. So it took a bit to get into it. But as soon as I got enmeshed in Pamela's heart, I wouldn't have it in any other form.
The story is about Pamela and her everyday struggles as a fat kid. It deals with body shaming and bullying. Kudos to the author to be gutsy enough to write on these psychologically important issues. The way the author has dealt with the sensitive material in the form of a first hand account of a girl who is deemed not normal by her peers is commendable. This resonated within me because seriously who hasn't felt what Pamela experiences. I can see a bit of me in her and I feel every teen would feel that way except for those who were perfect which I doubt anyone could be. The flow is easy and the language is simple. It is a fast read which touched my heart in so many ways. The wry humour had me smiling with tears in the eyes. It is at once funny and poignant. It had me thinking late into the night.
I have always felt that Anne Frank's Diary has to be read by people of all ages and I feel the same way about this book too! This is a must read for everyone especially teenagers. It would help in making the kids realise how much impact they have on their peers and how deep it can be.
The only thing which doesn't make the book a full 5 star read for me is the ending. Though it had a sudden twist, it was rather abrupt. I was seriously thinking the author would end it with a Pamela who would find her one and look back with nostalgia. I did like the ending with Pamela's realisation that it's okay to be different but it was just too abrupt for my tastes. Other than that, I applaud the author on a book well written!
My one line review : A must read for everyone especially teenagers
My rating : 4.5/5
My reread factor : 3/5
Follow the tour @ Pinterest
Book Musings :
I confess that I had overlooked this book at the beginning because of the cover. Yeah, I know I am being superficial but I can't help it at times. So you are asking why I picked it up? It's solely because of the blurb. It had me thinking about the book and I had to know if Pamela was happy at the end. In hindsight, I am glad that I came across it. Now I have no words to describe what it has evoked in me. I will try my best though!
When I started the book, I didn't realise that it was in a style similar to the diary format. I am not used to it much. Except for The Diary of a Young Girl, Anne Frank, I hadn't read any in this form. So it took a bit to get into it. But as soon as I got enmeshed in Pamela's heart, I wouldn't have it in any other form.
The story is about Pamela and her everyday struggles as a fat kid. It deals with body shaming and bullying. Kudos to the author to be gutsy enough to write on these psychologically important issues. The way the author has dealt with the sensitive material in the form of a first hand account of a girl who is deemed not normal by her peers is commendable. This resonated within me because seriously who hasn't felt what Pamela experiences. I can see a bit of me in her and I feel every teen would feel that way except for those who were perfect which I doubt anyone could be. The flow is easy and the language is simple. It is a fast read which touched my heart in so many ways. The wry humour had me smiling with tears in the eyes. It is at once funny and poignant. It had me thinking late into the night.
I have always felt that Anne Frank's Diary has to be read by people of all ages and I feel the same way about this book too! This is a must read for everyone especially teenagers. It would help in making the kids realise how much impact they have on their peers and how deep it can be.
The only thing which doesn't make the book a full 5 star read for me is the ending. Though it had a sudden twist, it was rather abrupt. I was seriously thinking the author would end it with a Pamela who would find her one and look back with nostalgia. I did like the ending with Pamela's realisation that it's okay to be different but it was just too abrupt for my tastes. Other than that, I applaud the author on a book well written!
My one line review : A must read for everyone especially teenagers
My rating : 4.5/5
My reread factor : 3/5
Follow the tour @ Pinterest
About the author
Sudesna (Sue) Ghosh is a writer based in Kolkata. She was born in the United States and moved to India when she was 9. After completing high school there, she went back to the US for her higher education at the University of Rochester. She has also penned What Would I Tell Her @ 13 and News Now, along with several short stories. When Sudesna isn’t writing, she tries to do her bit for animal welfare.
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