Wally Lamb’s first novel chronicles the life of Delores Price, a wounded, angry, yet endearing young woman, as she navigates life’s ups and downs. In Delores’ case, the ups are few and far between, while the downs seem to occur on a regular basis. Beginning at age four, we follow Delores through a rocky childhood, a cringe-worthy high school career, and her ascent into adulthood. To cope with her problems, Delores turns to food. At one point she weighs in at an astonishing 257 pounds. Lamb writes from a woman’s point of view with surprising insight and grace. This often depressing story was also full of humour and hope. I couldn’t put it down. I passed this on to all my friends.