Jean's Reviews > Deep Dish

Wow, I picked up this book in my apartment building’s donation pile and it was the worst book I’ve ever read. I didn’t know two romantic leads written by the same author could have such a total lack of chemistry. Also, a lot of the character traits of the main character, Gina, were totally off base and clearly written by a middle aged or older writer. No 29 year old in 2008 (when it was written) wouldn’t know what “hooking up” meant or call her bag a “pocketbook”. Her character was not believable or relatable to me at all as someone of her generation.

Most importantly, the book is incredibly sexist, ageist and racist. Other characters are constantly commenting on Gina’s looks - her weight, hair, clothes, eating habits, attractiveness, etc. The constant misogyny is extremely off putting. Also Gina clearly has an eating disorder, she’s a cook but eats nothing but pork chips and Diet Coke and starves herself for hours on end. I thought the book was building up to some sort of come to Jesus moment about her anorexia but it never does - what the hell??? She’s also constantly talking about how she’s “over the hill” and “used up” at age 29 which is just so offensive. Again, that’s the author’s own insecurities and personal failings showing.

The racism comes in the form of the stereotypical nonwhite secondary characters. There’s an Asian dragon lady and a flamboyant gay black man whose biggest moment in the book is flirting with the Chinese takeout boy.

I always finish books that I start which is how I’ve managed to read 100 books in the past several years, of all genres and at all levels of “readability”. This is by far the worst book I’ve ever read. Shame on the author and publisher for imbuing a book with such hateful implications on womanhood.