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The Food of Love by Amanda Prowse

Before I give my thoughts on Amanda Prowse’s latest release, I have to admit to having a family member who went through a serious eating disorder and how this affected the entire family. This was always going to be a difficult read for me as it brought it all back. The Food of Love is so well researched and beautifully written. Amanda Prowse has never been afraid of writing about issues that affect many of us. I have a real soft spot for Amanda’s writing and she is back to her very best with her latest offering.

Meet the Braithwaite family, a family just like any other. Freya who is a happy loving wife and mother. Lockie the father that just wants to support and make his family happy Freya and Lockie have been married now for 19 years and two beautiful teenage girls in Charlotte and Lexi. Just a normal family full of normal every day cares and worries of school and work. There is so much love between Lockie and Freya that it radiates throughout the book and from every page which feeds through the family unit.

One of the great skills that Amanda Prowse has as a writer is she creates characters that we can all identify with in our own everyday lives she is one of the best storytellers and the stories themselves are so very real. For Freya’s youngest daughter Lexi life is becoming difficult and when she starts to lose weight it becomes apparent that something is very wrong. Lexi has now been diagnosed with Anorexia. This is devastating news for the family and we watch as Lexi’s condition deteriorates and becomes very serious. Anorexia at its worst can be fatal. I speak from personal experience as to what this can do to family and loved ones. You feel totally helpless and daily life outside of the family just passes you by.

For the Braithwaite family this is exactly what happens at first denial and this does happen in cases like this and when you have given your all to your family it hits you like a brick in your face. Why our family? What have we done wrong? There are no simple answers to any of the questions a family full of love ask of themselves. A family full of love will always stand together and they surround Lexi with love. I must warn the reader there will be tears at times through The Food of Love. It is heart-breaking and poignant. A book that when you start to read you will not want to stop.

It is hard for me after so many years to read this incredible book as it brought back memories and I have tried to banish to the recesses of my mind. But the more we talk about the issues such as Anorexia the more understanding we will all become. Even today it pains me to say this it is still a taboo subject and clearly this should not be this way at all.

Yet again I congratulate Amanda Prowse on such a well thought out and researched novel that is packed full of love and tenderness. The Food of Love is such an important book for anyone who wants to know what life is really like beyond the front door of a home with a family member suffering with dreadful illness.

I know I will not be leaving this book as the story will now linger with me as for me it is real and raw. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

Thank you to both Amanda and Simeon for the advanced review copy.

The Food of Love by Amanda Prowse is published by Lake Union Books and is available through Waterstones, Amazon and all good bookshops.