In Wally Lamb’s She’s Come Undone we meet a thirteen year old Dolores Price. With two completely inadequate parents, she spends most of her time in front of the television in her bedroom, eating junk food. Her attempts to fit into a normal life are thwarted either by herself or by others response to her 257 pound body. The relationships she encounters are emotionally negative or abusive and in turn her response to anything positive is aggressive and defensive.

It doesn’t sound much fun to read, does it?

And yet, only one of our reviewers failed to engage with this book. Wally Lamb is a remarkable (male) writer: he gets right under her skin and paints, not a victim but a fighter. Dolores’ self deprecating thoughts and actions are sometimes amusing, often shocking and tragic, but as readers we continue to campaign for her. This book scored one ‘good’, three ‘very good’ and one ‘excellent’.