A brilliant humorous look at a dark topic, The Fatness tackles that giant elephant in the room - the obesity epidemic. Not political, but a bit dark at times, this dystopian and funny story is a great break from reality. ( )

I received a free copy of this book via NetGallery and am voluntarily leaving a review.

I was excited by the premise of this book. I had high hopes for this imaginative dystopian story. I was disappointed however because the story seemed to go on excessively without the plot moving forward as much as it needed to. If this book was shorter and had some of the fat trimmed, pun intended, readers wouldn’t hit a lull and find the middle of the book a never-ending slog. I appreciated the quotes and facts intertwined. The romance was a nice addition however it didn’t play a significant role until later. There are great ideas here, there just needs to be some refinement. I will happily read what Mark A Rayner does next. ( )

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MY REVIEW OF “THE FATNESS “ BY MARK A. RAYNER

I have to give credit to Mark A. Rayner, author of “The Fatness” for his unusual and unique way of addressing the problem of obsesity. The genres for this novel are satire, dark humor, wit, fiction and suspense. This novel takes place in present time in Canada, where socialized medicine is practiced.

In this novel of fiction, the government has decided that anyone with a BMI of 30 or more will not get health insurance unless they go to “Caloried Restriction Centres”.(CRI) The premise is that trained professionals would work with these overweight “Clients”. Please keep in mind that this is the working of a government. In a blurb from the description of the book, “ The Fatness” is a contemporary satire of socialism,capitalism, and the so-called obsesity epidemic.”

The author describes the characters as complicated and complex. Some have evil intentions, and are greedy. Keenlan Cavanaugh is considered obsese with a BMI of 30-31. He has been in the CRI for two years. He does get to meet an attorney, Jacinda Williams, and sparks fly. There are constant changes in the CRI, and there is also a criminal element that is bringing in McDonald’s, and anything if you have money.

Does it appear that the CRI doesn’t want their clients to leave? After another group takes over from the government, the BMI requirements go down to 29. There are armed guards securing the location. Are the “clients” now inmates?

In this book the author describes that it is not advisable or generally the case that “normal weight” people would want to be with overweight people. There are references to discrimination, the thin vs. the fat people in society. The only fat people that are not part of this system are the one’s that can afford private health insurance.

These inmates cannot leave the premises and are treated like criminals. There are some surprises and twists and turns.

This book would be for readers who have a dark sense of humor and appreciate satire and the symbolism in this book. I received an ARC of this book for my honest review. ( )

I don't know if those "full-disclosure" statements at the beginning of some reviews really should make a difference. For those of you that feel them necessary: I am a fan of Mark Rayner's work, and this is his fourth book release in a row which I didn't have to pay to receive (this and two previous being given in advance of release to review). Given what I see happening in society, and on the pages, I feel this statement shouldn't matter. This book needs to be read.

OK, so that's a bold, and possibly rude, statement. I stand by it through. Maybe I should say please read it? And I don't say this so Mr. Rayner sells more books (sorry Mark!). I say this because it highlights a social issue. Too many people that are considered obese, or fat, aren't given basic / common respect. They are shamed and discriminated. All humans deserve respect. No matter race, creed, gender, sexuality, and BMI. What is more important is what's on the inside. Corny, but true. So there is another statement I stand by.

The story, especially through Keelan, our protagonist, can be seen as personal in nature to some readers, and enlightening to others. Though as Rayner states in his notes at the end, maybe not so much for women, given there are additional levels to how this social issues affects females. Some among the human race struggle every day with the issues that being overweight brings. Seen to some in society as unhealthy, unintelligent, unable to use self control. So many are looked down upon. Along with this, there is the issue how privatized health care is more concerned with profit margins than which course of action is truly best for the patient's well being. Though I feel this reaches more than those with health concerns that, seen by some, can be controlled.

Mind you, this isn't just a novel filled with statements against societal discrimination and financial greed. It's also fun to read. This is why I have become a fan of Rayner. Through his work I have become a fan of satire. He has done this with wit and endearing charm. There truly is an entertaining story inside, filled with engaging and crazy characters (the return of Dr. Maximilian Tundra!), great humor, and an equal amount of emotional pull. Thrown in for good measure are some facts that can help the reader better understand the daily fight. I feel it was all brought together, like a great balancing act, that was hard to put down. So you can read the book and be entertained, even if you aren't enlightened. But maybe that's just my fanboy-ish-ness talking?

Nah! I stand by all these statements. ( )