Content Warning: a bully makes hateful comments to a few characters.
Julie Murphy’s novel Dumplin’, dedicated to “all the fat-bottomed girls,” came out in 2015 from a big publisher. Many reviewers have described how cute the story is, but I’m on the hunt for books that represent fat women positively without relying on a dieting or dating to happily ever after, so I’ll be looking at it from that perspective.
Dumplin’ is the nickname Willowdean’s mother has used forever, yet as she gets older, Willowdean becomes self-conscious of what it implies when used on a fat girl like her. Willowdean’s tiny Texas town is obsessed with the annual Clover City Miss Teen Blue Bonnet Pageant, and Willowdean’s mother runs it. She won back in the 70s and has squished into the same sea-green dress since — even the year she gave birth to her daughter. There would be enough tension between a beauty queen mom and a fat daughter, but Julie Murphy adds other characters to add complexity to Willowdean’s life.
For example, Willowdean, her single mom, and her disabled aunt Lucy lived together for years. But Lucy died a few months before the book begins. Lucy is described as 498 pounds, she never left the house, and she died of a massive heart attack. The book opens itself up to let readers point out that being fat will kill a person. But Murphy takes another path: what if Lucy didn’t really live her life because society stopped her? Willowdean remembers ways Lucy was more of a protective mother than her actual mom. She also learns Lucy hung out with drag queens at some point.
Julie Murphy creates unique, memorable characters. Millie is another fat girl, one who wears puppy/kitty shirts or matching sweats — and not ironically. Amanda has a limp helped by a corrective shoe, but she’s also a talented soccer dribbler. Even one character’s step-mom, who appears very briefly, gets a chance to shine in a way that leaves you remembering why.
The story never turned out how I thought it would. The basic plot is a hot boy seems to like fat Willowdean, so what happens next? But when a boy who is a husky football player likes Willowdean enters the novel, I made assumptions. Nothing I assumed came true. The story is sweet, but it’s not sentimental. You’re not watching Bridget Jones run through the city in her underwear to catch Mark Darcy or any of those other stories that make you root because you know it will turn out happily ever after when a character’s landed the closing-scene kiss. As school, boys, and friendship gets complicated, Willowdean decides to enter the Clover City pageant to remind herself who she really is.
Murphy writes unapologetically about being fat. After a fight, Willowdean tells her conventionally pretty friend that she’s not the fat sidekick, which implies she’s the star of her own story and not in the backseat because she’s fat. The deceased aunt leaves clues about her life in her room, and Willowdean realizes that being fat didn’t stop her aunt from living life, the fear of society’s cruelty eventually did. And one of my favorite points: one fat girl isn’t the leader of all fat girls, meaning Willowdean entering the pageant doesn’t make her the head of a revolution that will destroy what we think of beauty queens. She’s Willowdean.
The moments that really caught my breath, though, were acknowledgement of fat people being told “you’re not welcome.” Whether it was Willowdean rejecting Halloween because costumes for fat people don’t exist, or friend Ellen not realizing why Willowdean wouldn’t want to work with her in a clothes store in the mall where Willowdean couldn’t even buy clothes, I felt a pulse in my heart: yes. yes. yes. When Millie can’t fit into a restaurant booth, she simply grabs a chair and sits on the end. As the Texans would say, “Bless your heart!” I’m thankful that Puddin’ will come out later this year. It’s Julie Murphy’s companion novel to Dumplin’ about Millie a few months after the Clover City pageant!
Grab the Lapels 
Love your description of the quiet but pervasive ways the author conveys how people are left out because of their weight. I imagine the book would be very resonant for some and even more eye opening for many others.
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I remember going shopping at the mall with my friends when I was in 9th grade and not being able to try on any of the clothes in the stores the three of them picked. I smiled and gave my opinion about their choices as they modeled clothes for me, but none of them seemed to notice I wasn’t really participating.
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Willowdean sounds like very much her own person, and I like that. I like it, too, that she doesn’t take a sort of, “I speak for all fat people,’ role. Rather, she’s just herself. It’s good to see characters like that.
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I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I loved Dumplin’ with all my heart ❤
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Have you read any of Murphy’s other books? Puddin’ sounds like it will be good. I thought there were people in the bi community who had concerns about Ramona Blue.
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Oh man, I cannot imagine the stress of being fat with a beauty queen mum – what a complex situation to be in! This sounds fantastic and I will keep an eye out for it – I don’t think it’s available in the UK yet but hopefully it will be soon.
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It looks like it is available in the UK, so you should be able to get a copy at the library! The sad thing about the beauty queen mom is she used to be fat, like her sister and daughter, but in 9th grade her body slimmed down on its own. After that, she’s been dieting and exercising herself into that same dress year after year.
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I’ve wanted to read this one since it came out, but somehow still haven’t gotten around to it!
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I felt the same way. I don’t tend to like YA, and there was so much hype that I backed off to get some space. It’s only been since late December of 2015 that I started my reading fat women challenge, so Dumplin’ was added to the list then. It was also one of the few books I thought I might be able to talk my book club into. They seem to like YA.
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I’ve fallen off YA a bit myself. I think a lot of the works aren’t that original. They’re just following trends to make money. I was much more excited about YA in the past and I hope we see more interesting and more thoughtful works re-emerge.
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Those are good points. The money making writing scheme, of course, requires a trilogy, which leads to….. THE THREE OR FOUR FILM DEAL. *cash register noises*
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Unfortunately, yes. I don’t mind a trilogy when the story demands it. But when it’s just because it’s easier to market a series than a standalone, I’ll pass. I used to try to finish every series I started. Now I increasingly read only the first book.
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This is a really interesting observation, Krysta! I am with you– I have been DNF’ing quite a few series and I couldn’t put my finger on it. You’re right– it’s that more often than not the story does not demand to continue. I’ll keep an eye out for that now; I bet it will ruin quite a few series for me! XD
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Sounds like you’ve finally found the kind of book you’ve been searching for! Willowdean sounds like a great character – like Margot, I like that the author hasn’t suggested she speaks for all fat people, since that would be a generalisation too far. Hope the next one pleases you just as much. 🙂
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I felt like Mille, a secondary character, stood out even more than Willowdean, so I’m hoping the companion novel, Puddin’, is just as thoughtful.
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I don’t mind a happily-ever-after ending, but sometimes that’s not what I’m craving. Sometimes a dash of reality is what’s needed for some stories. I loved that this author was able to surprise you with this one. I’m hoping to read it sometime this year. I hope Millie’s story is even more satisfying than this one!
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I felt like I knew Mille a bit better than Willowdean simply because we’re not in Millie’s head. For instance, there’s a part when a boy says he likes Willowdean, but because it’s all from her perspective, it’s hard to know what he likes. It’s not that he CAN’T like her, it’s that he has to like her for a reason. Maybe we’ll get to know Willowdean even better in Puddin’!
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I’m glad you found a novel you liked, an author even, for this challenge. Even beyond my daughters and granddaughters there are lots of women in my life dealing with society judging them by their bodies.
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Dumplin’ should be published in Australia, so I hope you or your family read it! I think you mentioned being rattled by your own weight at times, so maybe Dumplin’ would be good for you (and an easier novel than some of those others you’ve been reading lately!).
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I’m so glad you found a winner! I’ve had this one on my TBR for a while, but I tend to push off the YA in favor of other things. Clearly I need to move this one up sooner!
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I tend to dance around YA, too, as it tends to but appeal to me. Thanks to Murphy skipping all the unrealistic fluff, Dumplin’ was that much stronger and better to read.
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Huh. This sounds good. I don’t know why I read so many bad reviews when it came out I actually ended up removing this from my wish list and didn’t even try to request a copy. Sigh. Should maybe check the library.
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I noticed on Goodreads everyone talks about body positivity, which isn’t the same as fat acceptance. B.P. started out as something for fast people that was co-opted by everyone (sort of like saying “all lives matter” in response to “black lives matter”). There are times when Willowdean is a bit shallow, but she’s mostly noting trends in high school. She later sees characters for their individual worth.
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Ah. Makes sense. I’ll have to read it to judge for myself
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You found a good one! I’m so happy for you! This does look excellent and I will keep an eye out for it.
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Thanks, Liz!
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Hooray! I’m so glad you found a good one! And I also like having other readers wade through the YA for me – most of it puts me off so I tend to avoid it. The characters in this one sound great, which is what I like most about books. I wonder if we own it, or if we got it from the library… will have to check!
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I’m not a YA fan myself, but for my reading fat women challenge, I’m reading any and all genres. Your library should have this book by now; it came out in 2015!
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It does. I was just trying to remember if my daughter read her own copy or a library copy. She says it was from the library.
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Will you remind me what your daughter thought about it and how old she is?
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She’s 16. And she said she liked it, but it’s not one of her favourites. She’s more of a fantasy/sci-fi fan, though. She doesn’t like relationship stories as much. I don’t know where she came from. 😉
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Has she read any Mercedes Lackey? I loved that fantasy writer when I was your daughter’s age.
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I don’t think so – thanks for the rec!
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Start with the Magic trilogy (it’s Magic’s Pawn, Magic’s Price, and Magic’s Promise).
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yay! and double yay that this book came from a major publisher! There is light at the end of this tunnel it seems 😉
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You just made me realize something: I AM glad this book came from a major publisher. Usually, I try to keep my focus on small presses to help the little folks doing big things, but because Dumplin’ came out from a big press, more people will be exposed to a wonderful fat main character.
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exactly!
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So it sounds like this book fit your criteria of positive fat representation?!? It seems like it did…
“After a fight, Willowdean tells her conventionally pretty friend that she’s not the fat sidekick, which implies she’s the star of her own story and not in the backseat because she’s fat.”
Love this 🙂
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It WAS a positive representation! Also, I felt like Willowdean wasn’t written to make the book more lighthearted, which I appreciated. It’s one of the reasons I don’t typically like YA: everything has to be *EXTREME* (like only this one teen can save the world, or this unpopular teen wins the cute bf/gf and prom kind/queen and a spot on the varsity swim team, or someone must tragically die, etc.)
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After reading this review, I am uncertain whether you enjoyed the book itself or if you enjoyed the fat-representation exclusively. I appreciate the fat-positive lens you use for this review. It is clear to me that the way Murphy kept switching things up for you turned out positively in the end. I agree; most of the time I was surprised at where this story went. Willowdean’s journey felt natural and appropriate for a 17-year-old girl. Does Dumplin’ pass your fat-positive criteria? What surprised you the most in a positive way?
But do you enjoy the book itself? I know YA isn’t really your thing– but sometimes, it’s a fun change. 😉
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When I’m reviewing a book for my fat reading challenge, I tend to focus more on that. I’d like to add more (and have in the past), but the draft tends to get very long–like 1,500 words and up. I liked that the book didn’t go where I thought it would because I felt that was natural, too. I talked my book club into reading this book, and we had our meeting last night. My husband hated the ending because it was so abrupt, but I pointed out that it’s typically film norms that have taught us there needs to be a big explosive ending, one in which Willowdean would have said she wants to be with Bo, or run to him and kiss him, that sort of thing. I appreciate fiction that keeps things more realistic because those messages DO affect readers so greatly. I mean, half of marriage is figuring out that what we’ve been sold in movies and books isn’t true. Dumplin’ DID pass my fat-positive criteria because Julie Murphy looked at so many perspectives with grace: Aunt Lucy, Willowdean’s body compared to El’s, the mother trying to fit into one dress EVEN when she had just given birth. The problems with bodies in the book all stem from things that society says we have to have problems with. Aunt Lucy didn’t see Dolly Parton because she was afraid of what other people on the plane would say about her. Willowdean’s discomfort with her own body came from society, not herself. The mother is cherished because she can wear the same dress every year. Can I just say that given how drastically dress styles change from year to year, she HAD to have looked ridiculous, even if she fit the dress. I did take issue with the present-tense first-person narrative. My brain kept fixing it to past tense. However, book club people who did the audio book loved the first-person because it’s like they’re being told a story. I also didn’t like the way the pageant is nearly forgotten until, like, the day of the pageant.
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Haha. I rarely look at how long my posts are. They are almost ALWAYS over 1000 words.
I am just verbose, I guess. But part of why I blog is because I have a lot to say. The audience my posts attract is the audience I love interacting with. 😀 No reason to change.
I listened to the audiobook, so I loved the present-tense first-person narrative. I agree with your book club friends; it did feel like I was being told a story.
As far as the pageant is concerned, I did struggle a bit with it being so prominent in the beginning and then vanishing. But I was so caught up in Willowdean’s story that I was able to let that go.
I love the breadth of body image issues Murphy explores in this novel. You hit on almost all of them– The other one I loved was exploring how Willowdean felt she was being fetishized and walked away from that intentionally, even though it wasn’t what she wanted. She demanded more respect than that. All of these issues rolled together so subtly were really powerful. I cannot wait for Puddin’!
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I can’t remember when she was being fetishized
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Well, maybe that’s how I interpreted it? When Bo was super into her and then suddenly dropped her– he recognized that he just wanted the physical aspects of her body and that it was a skeezy thing to do. But he never talked about her mind in those conversations, only her body.
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The thing that puzzled me was that Bo seemed to like hearing Willowdean at work. Both she and he claimed that she talked all the time. However, because the story is from her perspective, we don’t actually know what the heard, so we don’t know what he likes about her. I feel like the book could have been stronger in 3rd person. We also don’t know what El is thinking the whole time, or Millie, Amanda, Hannah. There was room to explore all these characters. I also thought that Willowdean was scared when Bo put his hand on her waist, so she jumped away. I don’t remember him dropping her; she left to work at the chili place. The only skeezy part I saw was that he didn’t admit that he was transferring to her public school–and why not, Bo!?
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You’re right– a 3rd person perspective would have cleared up a lot of this! We never really do get resolution on anything Bo did. We just… skirt past it. And I respect that! Willowdean has moved on, so we have to move on a the reader, as well.
So many questions! Perhaps Puddin’ will be a stronger overall novel? (not that this one wasn’t! you’re just helping me notice some gaps…)
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I’m not 100% clear on if Puddin’ is actually coming out in May. I haven’t heard any buzz, which has me worried.
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Great review! I’ve been interested in this title, and am glad to hear that it’s a good read. Sounds like it is respectful, and that’s so important!
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Thanks, Ami!
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Finally got to this title and I’m so glad that you recommended it! I really enjoyed it and loved the character of Willowdean. I didn’t really care for Bo, and was really rooting for Mitch (I hear he’s in Puddin so I hope to read that one soon). I also just watched the Netflix movie and while that was fun, it didn’t capture the complexity of the book. I was debating choosing this for my book club selection this month (I opted for The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo instead) but I think I remembered you saying you read it for book club and it didn’t go so well?
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I’m so glad you liked it! I really didn’t like Puddin’ as much for the reasons I give in my review here: https://grabthelapels.com/2018/12/14/puddin-by-julie-murphy/
Things did NOT go well at book club because there are the folks who think all fat people are just a few steps from death, and then there are the folks who come with scientific research showing that weight stigma and constant efforts to lose weight are more harmful to a person’s health. To be honest, it was a shit show, and some people dropped book club. One book that I really recommend for book club is one I just read and reviewed called The Fifth Child. If I put another link, this comment may go to your spam. However, if you go to my home page, it’s one of the first few reviews.
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This is a book I’ve been meaning to read for ages, and yet I seem not to be able to finally get my hands on it once and for all… Love the review and the positivity and life lessons this book seems to simply serve like hot coffee :))
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Thanks so much, Andie! Have you checked your local public library? I’m also looking forward to reading the follow-up novel, Puddin’, which stars one of Dumplin’s best friends (and I liked her more than Dumplin’!).
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You’re welcome~ I would, but I don’t live in an English-native country, so we don’t have books in English… And the translations are usually horrid, so :’)
I really want to read both of them!! Can’t wait to hear your thoughts on Puddin’ ❤
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[…] heard Puddin’ by Julie Murphy described as a companion novel to Dumplin’. It was my impression that a companion novel is one in which we get the same time period from a […]
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[…] I’ve become accustomed to the perfect-but-not-too-perfect endings of young adults novels (see Dumplin’, Puddin’, The Hate U Give, Mammoth, Vintage Veronica, etc.), I’m always relieved that […]
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[…] nonexistent. It’s a style of writing that feels formal compared to The Hate U Give and Dumplin’, reading more like Anne of Green Gables or A Little Princess. For those who say “nothing […]
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[…] do not forgive one another after any moments of betrayal, abandonment, or mistreatment. Consider Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy in which lifelong high school best friends separate because Willowdean can’t […]
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[…] The book came out in 2011, so a few years before the craze around fat characters in YA novels like Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy. Review […]
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