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Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite
Saving Sara: A Memoir of Food Addiction by Sara Somers is the author's autobiography recounting decades of binge eating. The book begins with a teenaged Somers who is withdrawn emotionally from the world despite having crossed international borders, outlining a childhood with parents who themselves were emotionally stunted and inclined towards various weights and styles of abuse. Constantly on the search for the next greatest thing, Somers continues to be driven by an addictive personality and a reliance on alcohol and narcotics in addition to food. The combination of these substances, all of which are forever within arms' reach, lead to a health crisis that spirals out of control within a woman who is forced to battle demons she was not equipped to fight and had neither the will nor the way to do so.
Saving Sara is a compelling memoir that really dives deeply into the realm of addiction, with Sara Somers opening up the darkest moments of her life with candid honesty. The devastating impact of her view of herself and her insecurities are only further fuelled by a food addiction which, in its cruelty, also works as the fuel for how she perceives her worth. Her California years, in particular, were a stand-out for me and I was rooting for her not to implode the happiness she didn't believe she deserved. There is one point where she believes if she could only be as thin as her dear friend she'd be happy and others would love her—and herein lies the crux of the disease and its gravest side effect. By not believing herself worthy of anything Somers also deems herself unworthy of help from others, choosing instead to continually try to put everything back together on her own. This is a wonderful memoir that highlights an addiction that is rarely spoken about, and I enjoyed reading it very much.
