Two Girls, Fat and Thin
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- Create Date：2021-04-15 13:51:14
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Mary Gaitskill
- ISBN：0241464153
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Reviews
Brooke
，
One of those books that's disturbing and uncomfortable to read - makes you squirm。 One of those books that's disturbing and uncomfortable to read - makes you squirm。 。。。more
Anne-Marie
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The whole time I was enjoying this book， I kept thinking， “Anna Granite is Ayn Rand。” so as soon as I read the last page of this novel that I didn’t want to end， I shut the book， and googled that shit and I was fucking right！
Joanna
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Gaitskill is unflinching in giving readers the cruelty， loneliness， confusion， rage， fleeting moments of bliss， and endless banality of the lives of these characters。 Their stories are told in alternating sections flipping rapidly through time--sometimes childhood memories， sometimes other ages always full of harsh moments and desperate attempts to feel something real。 These characters shouldn't have been likable--they are tremendously flawed and make frustratingly bad choices in their stories-- Gaitskill is unflinching in giving readers the cruelty， loneliness， confusion， rage， fleeting moments of bliss， and endless banality of the lives of these characters。 Their stories are told in alternating sections flipping rapidly through time--sometimes childhood memories， sometimes other ages always full of harsh moments and desperate attempts to feel something real。 These characters shouldn't have been likable--they are tremendously flawed and make frustratingly bad choices in their stories--but I found myself rooting for them。 This book is a really interesting contrast to Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood。 While Atwood sees the cruelty of children， she doesn't find them as lonely and gritty as Gaitskill does。 Atwood's characters grow into adults with full lives and loving relationships; Gaitskill's here grow into lonely， isolated outcasts。I want to read more of Gaitskill's books。 。。。more
Nicholas Beck
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Thoroughly enjoyed my stay in Metaphor City。 Stirling first novel with some clunkiness integrating the satirical aspects of Anna Granite's （Ayn Rand） philosophy with the internal and external realities of Justine Shade and Donna Never's lives。 The novel's pacing suffers somewhat as a result but Gaitskill's consummate ability reined me in for the full journey。 Recommended！ Thoroughly enjoyed my stay in Metaphor City。 Stirling first novel with some clunkiness integrating the satirical aspects of Anna Granite's （Ayn Rand） philosophy with the internal and external realities of Justine Shade and Donna Never's lives。 The novel's pacing suffers somewhat as a result but Gaitskill's consummate ability reined me in for the full journey。 Recommended！ 。。。more
Isabel Marqués
，
Mary Gaitskill fascinates me。 I still don't know why exactly， but it has to do with how she turns ordinary dramas into some kind of moral mysteries。 While she never gives you all the clues for you to finish it， she throws enough for you to have a "decent" picture， and in this sense she does an incredible job of intersubjectivity。It has taken me a while to finish this one because it wasn't always the perfect page turner to read at night。 It's certainly a demanding book， especially at the beginnin Mary Gaitskill fascinates me。 I still don't know why exactly， but it has to do with how she turns ordinary dramas into some kind of moral mysteries。 While she never gives you all the clues for you to finish it， she throws enough for you to have a "decent" picture， and in this sense she does an incredible job of intersubjectivity。It has taken me a while to finish this one because it wasn't always the perfect page turner to read at night。 It's certainly a demanding book， especially at the beginning， and if you're expecting to find a Salingeresque existential drama or an erotic thriller in the style of Bad Behavior， you may abandon it at some point in the first 150 pages。 The structure is a bit sleazy and the rhythm may be exhausting - there's a lot of disorienting， seemingly unnecessary talk and stories about terciary characters that seem to go nowhere - but these formal flaws are compensated by the protagonists' odd， sometimes uncomfortable magnetism。 This is one of these books where it's frankly hard to empathize with the heroines， let alone to identify， but still you follow them to the depths of their stories like you'd follow a mermaid to the bottom of the ocean。 Trusting， but scared to （of） death; without a clue of what you'll find， but with a looming intuition that you're not going to love it。 Both Dorothy （fat） and Justine （thin） are tormented in similar yet diverging ways， but they've managed to build extreme， yet realistic ways to build an alternative reality， a world that is protected， yet exposed。 The ending couldn't be more perfect， either narrative or aesthetically。 And the sex scenes should be the building block of new erotica。 Gaitskill is the empress of a literary planet where sex with strangers can be as ordinarily and satisfying as eating a bag of cookies in the subway。 。。。more
Kallie
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I just read this novel for the second time。 Gaitskill is really like no other writer。 Her insights into and appreciation for every character quirk are phenomenal。 Justine and Dorothy are so much more self aware than characters usually are in a novel and I think that is thanks to the writer's skill at teasing out details of character and psychology （without being new age or clinical）。 They are， nonetheless， compulsive， and it's the details and self-awareness that make their strange behavior belie I just read this novel for the second time。 Gaitskill is really like no other writer。 Her insights into and appreciation for every character quirk are phenomenal。 Justine and Dorothy are so much more self aware than characters usually are in a novel and I think that is thanks to the writer's skill at teasing out details of character and psychology （without being new age or clinical）。 They are， nonetheless， compulsive， and it's the details and self-awareness that make their strange behavior believable and understandable。 This book is in part about how people deal with the betrayal of abuse。 If it weren't for the brilliant writing， some of that would be too disgusting to read because Gaitskill leaves out no sensual detail， but the characterizations are so complete and believable， the narration could have taken me just about anywhere with zero complaint。 。。。more
Joanie Clare
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a great book about two totally opposite women who were abused in their childhood。 great work of fiction。
Rachel
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Exceptional， beautiful writing。 The first half and last 50 pages stand out stronger than the middle。 A little jumbled in terms of perspective and timeline， but overall a pretty enjoyable read （but a little rough around the edges which might have increased its charm for me）。
Jake Backer
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So there are parts of this novel that I found compelling。 The weighing of Anna Granite's philosophy， the profound effects of fiction on thought etc。 It also felt gratuitously sexual for little real benefit， the two women are sad， lonely and it was mostly a downer。 Reading this book in quarantine was rough in particular because it is fucking DARK。 There's no fun， no adventure - just a grim if very thoughtful take on perversion， power， and loneliness。 So there are parts of this novel that I found compelling。 The weighing of Anna Granite's philosophy， the profound effects of fiction on thought etc。 It also felt gratuitously sexual for little real benefit， the two women are sad， lonely and it was mostly a downer。 Reading this book in quarantine was rough in particular because it is fucking DARK。 There's no fun， no adventure - just a grim if very thoughtful take on perversion， power， and loneliness。 。。。more
Ailsa
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A peculiar novel。I feel so defensive about liking Mary Gaitskill。
Natty S
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One girl is a fat libertarian （or Definitist， with Ayn Rand disguised as Anna Granite） whose moody and bitter disposition keeps her from ever fitting in。 The other is the thin mid-western suburbanite whose parents divorced and who had mixed success fitting in until she simply becomes too closed in a shell of her own making to want to fit in。 There is much to love about this book， particularly if you love language。 Gaitskill has so many lovely， lyrical turns-of-phrase that are delicious。 And is a One girl is a fat libertarian （or Definitist， with Ayn Rand disguised as Anna Granite） whose moody and bitter disposition keeps her from ever fitting in。 The other is the thin mid-western suburbanite whose parents divorced and who had mixed success fitting in until she simply becomes too closed in a shell of her own making to want to fit in。 There is much to love about this book， particularly if you love language。 Gaitskill has so many lovely， lyrical turns-of-phrase that are delicious。 And is a master of interiority here。 And yet the book has the problem that a lot of literary fiction of the 1990s has， namely， that it is so wrapped up in character that it loses the plot。 Indeed I'd almost despaired that any convergences between the two girls would ever take place。 If you hold in there， it does but mere pages before the end of the novel。 There were also a couple of pet peeves that revolve around Gaitskill seeming to focus her characterizations based on stereotype and projection rather than how it is more likely to work in real life。 While I don't doubt there are people who are fat like Dorothy because they are always eating。 So she is not entirely unbelievable。 But my own experience of fatness and of other fat people I have known over the years differs markedly the portrayal of fatness in this story。 Again， it's not that it never happens like that but it feels more based on societal stereotypes of fat people than lived reality。 The way the BDSM relationship ended also felt more based on stereotype than lived reality。 Moreover， the boyfriend never did anything to make us think he would do what he does。 Gaitskill leaves all foreshadowing to mere suggestion that there was something darker in him。 Basically， to use writer workshop-speak， when she has him do what he does， she hasn't earned it yet。 Then again， maybe I wasn't paying close enough attention？ At any rate， I did enjoy this book because it was so beautifully written。 It's just a shame that her fat girl and her BDSM relationship felt more cliche than real。 。。。more
Katrina Wlodarczyk
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I love Mary Gaitskill so much。 I really think she is my favorite author。。。 She knows how to write about being a woman in such a heartbreakingly， slap-in-the-face realistic way。 This is her first novel but the third novel I have read by her， I started with her short stories which were what drew me in。 This book is disgustingly and disturbingly good。 It chronicles two different women - one interviewing another for an article about Anna Granite， an Ayn Rand type woman with a cult-ish following。 Thi I love Mary Gaitskill so much。 I really think she is my favorite author。。。 She knows how to write about being a woman in such a heartbreakingly， slap-in-the-face realistic way。 This is her first novel but the third novel I have read by her， I started with her short stories which were what drew me in。 This book is disgustingly and disturbingly good。 It chronicles two different women - one interviewing another for an article about Anna Granite， an Ayn Rand type woman with a cult-ish following。 This book is just so realistic！ Not only because of the huge resurgence of The popularity of Ayn Rand and libertarians in politics in the last decade （even though this book was written in 1991） but because it follows two very different women - “fat” and “thin” - and discusses their similarities and their personal relationships and what made them be the way that they are while also critiquing the dogmatic principles of Libertarianism without actually saying them because it’s fiction！ Hah。 I love the unglamorousness of the way Gaitskill writes anything。 It’s gritty and her prose is beautiful at the same time which leads to a lovely and gross and unique combination。 I loved this book。 。。。more
Blue
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I LOVED this book。 I can't really put my finger on why - but a lot of the story was vile （things happening to the main characters） and how it warped their sense of self， and how they deal with it in themselves and each-other。 This is a strange story showing how we can begin friendships even with the unlikeliest of people; and sometimes we come together in a grey fashion， but know that we belong in the end， in whichever ways our lines are crossed。 10/10 for me。 I LOVED this book。 I can't really put my finger on why - but a lot of the story was vile （things happening to the main characters） and how it warped their sense of self， and how they deal with it in themselves and each-other。 This is a strange story showing how we can begin friendships even with the unlikeliest of people; and sometimes we come together in a grey fashion， but know that we belong in the end， in whichever ways our lines are crossed。 10/10 for me。 。。。more
Sheridan
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Heavy content warnings for sexual assault， but a really intelligently-written picture of two women’s life stories。
Joe
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Not surprisingly， this book is about two women， one who is rather large and the other who is rather slim。 Their individual stories are told。 Other than a history of sexual abuse， they have little in common。 They are brought together by the personage of Anna Granite， a philosopher， writer， and cult leader of sorts。 The book is painful to read and it just didn’t work for me。
Aidan
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B-I-C-T-H
Bill FromPA
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A dual Bildungsroman; in alternating chapters Gaitskill examines in some detail the childhood and adolescence of her two protagonists， Dorothy and Judith， to show how they became the women they are in the first and third parts of this three-part novel。 Though the novel centers around a lightly fictionalized version of Ayn Rand （called Anna Granite here） and her circle， the book is not really a representation of Objectivism （Definitism） and its adherents and critics。 This is neither a satire nor A dual Bildungsroman; in alternating chapters Gaitskill examines in some detail the childhood and adolescence of her two protagonists， Dorothy and Judith， to show how they became the women they are in the first and third parts of this three-part novel。 Though the novel centers around a lightly fictionalized version of Ayn Rand （called Anna Granite here） and her circle， the book is not really a representation of Objectivism （Definitism） and its adherents and critics。 This is neither a satire nor a novel of ideas。 Granite and her group serve mainly to bring the two characters together: Dorothy is an adherent to Definitism and works for some time as a secretary in Granite's group， Judith is a part-time reporter writing an article on the movement。 Gaitskill does poke some fun at the purely novelistic aspects of Rand's work - plot， characters， prose - but is fairly respectful of the ideas expressed。 Dorothy's defense of the philosophy and Judith's criticism are pretty much boilerplate pro and con Objectivist arguments。 Other than Dorothy's brief involvement with one of its members there's not much attempt to examine the hothouse atmosphere of Granite's circle， though Rand's hysterical break with Nathaniel Branden （Beau Bradley） is depicted in a brief scene。 Gaitskill seems so uninterested in Granite and Definitism that at one point she makes a blatant blunder in regard to the chronology of Granite's bibliography。 Dorothy reads the novel The Gods Disdained before leaving college to attend a Granite lecture; however， much later， after Dorothy has been working for Granite's group for some time， she takes dictation from Granite， "notes for the gestating Gods Disdained。"The time of the action is several years after Granite's death and there are gaps in the story of the two women - Judith's passage from high school through college to her somewhat unsatisfactory professional life and Dorothy's shift from employment in the Granite group to a graveyard-shift transcriber of legal documents。 These create a minor sense of disconnection in the psychological development of these characters， the main focus of the novel。 I found the ending highly satisfying （view spoiler）[and very， very funny （hide spoiler）]。In the final chapter Dorothy takes a cab and， in response to her expressed anger about Judith's article on Definitism， the black driver says， "I've just been driving around all day listening to the crazy piss-ant problems of white people， and I can't stand it anymore。" I admired Gaitskill for this shift of perspective on her novel （and， indeed， the novels I've recently been reading）。 。。。more
Terra
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Dark。 Compelling。 Haunting。 Gaitskill never ceases to disappoint me with her writing style; she writes a fabulous sentence。
Anna
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This might be my favorite book by Mary Gaitskill so far。 If you like weird fiction about very "unlikeable，" flawed characters， this might be a good pick。 There's so much going on here， with the Ayn Rand subplot and the flashbacks to the two main characters' childhoods， but somehow it all works。 Not for the squeamish reader。 This might be my favorite book by Mary Gaitskill so far。 If you like weird fiction about very "unlikeable，" flawed characters， this might be a good pick。 There's so much going on here， with the Ayn Rand subplot and the flashbacks to the two main characters' childhoods， but somehow it all works。 Not for the squeamish reader。 。。。more
Lilith
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Pretty good！！ Parts are scary， but that’s why I love Mary Gaitskill！
James
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I've been meaning to read this， Mary Gaitskill's first novel， since it came out in the early nineties - I was a huge fan of her short story collection Bad Behavior and perhaps I should've gotten around to this title sooner。 After a slow start，it is intellectually engaging and periodically moving and the twinned sex-abuse story lines are culturally on point in this Me Too year， but it was just a little overwrought and psychologically deterministic in a way that felt distinctly late eighties/early I've been meaning to read this， Mary Gaitskill's first novel， since it came out in the early nineties - I was a huge fan of her short story collection Bad Behavior and perhaps I should've gotten around to this title sooner。 After a slow start，it is intellectually engaging and periodically moving and the twinned sex-abuse story lines are culturally on point in this Me Too year， but it was just a little overwrought and psychologically deterministic in a way that felt distinctly late eighties/early nineties， like a lit-fic version of the Maury show。 This is the tale of an unlikely friendship between two women who are， as one Goodreads reviewer dismissively but accurately put it， "OPPOSITES， BUT EXACTLY THE SAME！" Thin， manic-pixie-nightmare girl Justine （I found the character names - of both the thinly-veiled stand-ins for real cultural figures and the entirely fictional creations - a little too on the nose）， sometime journalist and fledgling BDSM enthusiast， interviews fat and angry Dorothy， incest survivor and obsessive super fan， for an article about the cult which surrounds the work of one "Anna Granite，" a flamboyant Eastern European novelist and founder of "Definitism。" I've never read Ayn Rand but， again， I've meant to for a long time， although always with more ambivalence than I'。 When I was a teen I loved the prog-metal band Rush， whose drummer and lyricist was a keen acolyte of Rand and proponent of her "Objectivist" philosophy。 At the same time， I was intellectually under the sway of my erstwhile Communist， bohemian-from-central-casting English teacher， who loathed Rand with a passion that was startling then but has， since， become entirely familiar。 I happened to read Two Girls in anticipation of hearing Gaitskill read at a local college and I asked her in the Q & A if Rand was worth the expenditure of my now-dwindling reading time。 She demurred a definitive response， but I was fascinated t to learn that Dorothy was based on a real woman of her acquaintance。I still like Gaitskill very much as a stylist。 She is a careful and acute observer of frequently baffling human contrariness。 She manages to combine a clinical eye and a deadpan tone with surprising generosity for a unique and sustained note of what I can only describe as compassionate disgust。 She is masterful on the human challenge of inhabiting and navigating a body in space and time， of being， as the song says， spirits in a material world。 "All at once，" she writes of someone who has dropped her belongings in a humiliated rush to exit a subway car， "I was engulfed by life's dirty， mechanical nature， all the tiny movements and functions you have to perform correctly just to get through the day， all the tiny accoutrements you must carry which can at any time blow up in your face。"As someone who spends an inordinate amount of time regretting the most mundane of missteps and raging against the inanimate objects conspiring against my happiness， that really resonated with me。 I've thought about that line for days。Gaitskill is keenly， one might say obsessively， interested in sexuality and， in particular， sexual interactions that center on what we now non-judgmentally characterize as "power exchange。" I don't have a problem with that。 So am I。 It's not just the incisive prose that keeps me coming back to the well。 I am， though， a little impatient with her need to pathologize her fascination here and，insofar as I can remember something I read decades ago， in the Bad Behavior stories。 It just reminds me a little of tv shows like CSI or Law and Order: SVU that relish plot lines about sexual deviance that are at once intended to titillate and pass judgment。 Dont' despise me for a pervert， this attitude seems to say， I'm interested in this stuff because I'm a psychologist。 I know it's because of my disgust with the cowardice and hypocrisy of contemporary politics， but I have no patience right now with people who want to have it both ways。 。。。more
Natasha
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yeah this book really wrecked me in an important way even though I can't articulate how yetI just want you all to know that it's very good yeah this book really wrecked me in an important way even though I can't articulate how yetI just want you all to know that it's very good 。。。more
Jim Flores
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Chilling portrait of loneliness and aloneness
Myna
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My friend， writer Diane Bracuk， lent this to me。 I can't enthuse enough over the layered， emotionally textured writing。 The characters are so well drawn， you feel you are right there in the room with them。 A fascinating double portrait of two troubled women。 Mary Gaitskill is a remarkably gifted writer of dialogue and inner-dialogue and the whole novel comes to a screeching climax。 Best novel I've read in a long time！ My friend， writer Diane Bracuk， lent this to me。 I can't enthuse enough over the layered， emotionally textured writing。 The characters are so well drawn， you feel you are right there in the room with them。 A fascinating double portrait of two troubled women。 Mary Gaitskill is a remarkably gifted writer of dialogue and inner-dialogue and the whole novel comes to a screeching climax。 Best novel I've read in a long time！ 。。。more
Andi Gaywood
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I picked this book up as a freebie from a book swap place。 I was hooked from the first chapter。 I am not sure what one is meant to get from this book but for me it was about living your life to the full and not being drawn in to things that don't really matter。 Dorothy and Justine meet because of a similar interest but from totally different angles。 The book explores their dysfunctional lives and how they came to be at the point they now find themselves in。 Both having relationships with guys th I picked this book up as a freebie from a book swap place。 I was hooked from the first chapter。 I am not sure what one is meant to get from this book but for me it was about living your life to the full and not being drawn in to things that don't really matter。 Dorothy and Justine meet because of a similar interest but from totally different angles。 The book explores their dysfunctional lives and how they came to be at the point they now find themselves in。 Both having relationships with guys that are dysfunctional in themselves。 However after finally getting together I feel they have found a love that both find stimulating and rewarding。 The book explores themes of love， reality， hope， desire and false perception。 I can relate to the book in that we often follow ideals and dreams that are just whimsical mutterings of a disillusioned person。 A good read that I feel I have missed the real point but adapted to suit my own failings and insecurities。 I will look out for other book by Gaitskill and hopefully feel as I do now， elated， happy and satiated。 。。。more
Deirdre Danklin
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A nightmare of a book。 Even the images on the television， in advertisements overhead on the subway， in sexual fantasies， in childhood memories are dark， dark， dark。 This book is dark， dark， dark。 Smiles at you from the dark， though， says - go on laugh， I know you want to。 I laughed and felt bad for laughing， I felt queasy for gasping， for recognizing myself in these people and their depravity。 I have a professor who， weary with young writers， wants us to write stories with "loft。" She says we ar A nightmare of a book。 Even the images on the television， in advertisements overhead on the subway， in sexual fantasies， in childhood memories are dark， dark， dark。 This book is dark， dark， dark。 Smiles at you from the dark， though， says - go on laugh， I know you want to。 I laughed and felt bad for laughing， I felt queasy for gasping， for recognizing myself in these people and their depravity。 I have a professor who， weary with young writers， wants us to write stories with "loft。" She says we are grim。 That our prose is good but we don't give anyone any hope。 We're respectful， so we don't tell her that we're not trying to give her hope。 Mary Gaitskill isn't trying to give us hope。 It's brutal。 It's tie-you-to-the-bed-and-whip-you brutal。 But I liked it。 。。。more
Sarah
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I liked this intimate look at two women， both ill-at-ease in the world， who make a strange connection。 We get very close to them from childhood on， and their encounters with each other vibrate with their past experiences。 Dorothy was an abused child， while Justine was both abused and an abuser， but one whose flashes of empathy leave her open to redemption。 The story takes off after Justine， a freelance journalist/secretary， contacts Dorothy for an interview about "Definitism，" the philosophy of I liked this intimate look at two women， both ill-at-ease in the world， who make a strange connection。 We get very close to them from childhood on， and their encounters with each other vibrate with their past experiences。 Dorothy was an abused child， while Justine was both abused and an abuser， but one whose flashes of empathy leave her open to redemption。 The story takes off after Justine， a freelance journalist/secretary， contacts Dorothy for an interview about "Definitism，" the philosophy of Anna Granite， a stand-in for Ayn Rand。 Dorothy is an obese 20-something and follower of Granite’s philosophy， while Justine is an alienated character with an interest in degrading and dangerous sex。 Justine’s article， published near the end of the book， enrages Dorothy， who decides immediately upon reading it to track Justine down and vent her anger。 The ending was a surprise to me。I admit I didn't get off to a good start with the book。 I thought I'd be modifier'd out by page 12 or so， but the feeling abated as the story developed。 。。。more
Justin
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You enjoy the words well enough， not really sure what it's all about， and then the ending just clicks。 You enjoy the words well enough， not really sure what it's all about， and then the ending just clicks。 。。。more
Kacey
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Sorry- Could not attach myself to this book despite some good passages。 （Abandoned in 2017）
Blair
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Mary Gaitskill's first novel centres on the meeting and subsequent unconventional friendship between 'two girls' （women， but I'll let that pass because a large chunk of the book is about their experiences of growing up） – Dorothy Never （'fat'） and Justine Shade （'thin'）。 Justine is a part-time journalist who places an ad looking for devotees of the novelist Anna Granite and her philosophy of Definitism – very thinly veiled stand-ins for Ayn Rand and Objectivism。 Dorothy， who was not only an acol Mary Gaitskill's first novel centres on the meeting and subsequent unconventional friendship between 'two girls' （women， but I'll let that pass because a large chunk of the book is about their experiences of growing up） – Dorothy Never （'fat'） and Justine Shade （'thin'）。 Justine is a part-time journalist who places an ad looking for devotees of the novelist Anna Granite and her philosophy of Definitism – very thinly veiled stand-ins for Ayn Rand and Objectivism。 Dorothy， who was not only an acolyte of Granite but also worked for her， replies。 The women have superficial differences （I presume these are the reason for the title， as Dorothy's fatness and Justine's thinness are not really relevant to the plot） but both sense much deeper things in common， establishing a sort of psychic bond that leads them to confide in each other about their shared experience of childhood sexual abuse。 Gaitskill then rewinds and tells， in alternate chapters， the story of each character's awful coming-of-age before returning to the present， where we see how these events have broken our （by now much more sympathetic） antiheroines。 Dorothy idolises the memory of her only lover， a married man， and exists in a state of isolation， splendid or tragic depending on how you see it。 Justine repeats a pattern of degrading sexual encounters and becomes involved in an exploitative sadomasochistic relationship with a strangely impish man she meets in a bar。 These seemingly disparate paths conspire to pull Dorothy and Justine together again， culminating in a symbolic climax that consolidates the odd connection between the two。As a whole this is not perfect; there's something slightly too 'zany' about it， an offputting quality I find in a lot of 90s fiction。 Yet there are parts of it I'll be thinking about for a long while – some pages so startling in the singularity of their insights that I felt physically jolted – and Dorothy is one of the best fictional characters I've come across in recent times。 Also， this book did more than anything else to make me want to read Rand， which was probably not Gaitskill's intention but is an interesting side effect; the experiences Dorothy has as a result of her encounters with Granite's work are just too powerful to be undermined by the scenario's satirical nature。TinyLetter | Twitter | Instagram | Tumblr 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Two Girls, Fat and Thin
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Two Girls, Fat and Thin&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft