Emily May's Reviews > Dumplin'

Dumplin' might be the perfect example of why I don't tend to read light-hearted, fluffy contemporaries.

Occasionally, my foray into this sub-genre ends with surprising new favourites like Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, but mostly I'm left feeling a little underwhelmed. Many times, I'm thinking "yeah, that was quite a nice book" or "that had an important message" but I don't feel any emotional connection to it.

The thing about Dumplin' is that it contains a great message. Willowdean "Dumplin'" Dickson is fat - and no, that is NOT an insult to her. She deals with other people's judgey eyes but, for the most part, she doesn't care. She's happy with who she is and other people can go screw themselves if they think differently.

I know that fat girls are supposed to be allergic to pools or whatever, but I love swimming. I mean, I’m not stupid. I know people stare, but they can’t blame me for wanting to cool off. And why should it even matter? What about having huge, bumpy thighs means that I need to apologize?

This is an extremely body-positive book, which is a great thing. It's very much about breaking down stereotypes, learning not to judge, and learning to love yourself. Willowdean is not perfect and sometimes gets judgmental too when put in a bad mood, but she chastises herself for it:

“And who the hell was that twiggy bitch?” As soon as it’s out of my mouth I regret it. All my life I’ve had a body worth commenting on and if living in my skin has taught me anything it’s that if it’s not your body, it’s not yours to comment on. Fat. Skinny. Short. Tall. It doesn’t matter.

As well as this, it's very sex-positive too. Willow is a virgin but she offers support to her best friend when she chooses to sleep with her boyfriend and it doesn't turn into a drama-filled horror story when she finally does.

Murphy introduces complex relationships between Willow and her friends and family. She also opened up an all new can of worms when she decided to include so many references to my beloved Dolly Parton (yes, I love her! yes, I have seen her in concert! she is a goddess of joy and inspiration). But more about that later.

But I just think a book needs to have a little more than this to draw you in - it needs to be moving, thrilling, exciting or (as I thought this would be) funny. And it's not really any of those. I never laughed, teared up, realized something new, or wondered what would happen next. The pacing is slow and the actual pageant doesn't rear its head until the second half of the book. I like this book mostly because I'm glad a book with this message exists.

Also, I understand why Murphy included the romance, but I never felt any chemistry between Willowdean and Bo, AND it did seem a little bit like wish fulfillment. I know the author wanted to show that big girls are not unattractive and have normal relationships and dates with guys, but did it really have to be a drop-dead gorgeous jock type? I had to roll my eyes at that one.

But one last thing - DOLLY PARTON. If she is not currently your go-to playlist when you need a pick-me-up, you seriously need to get on it! Here, I'll help:

Wildflowers
Backwoods Barbie
Better Get to Livin'
Eagle When She Flies
Just Because I'm a Woman (What a feminist!)

I've always been misunderstood because of how I look.
Don't judge me by the cover 'cause I'm a real good book.

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