A review by maralyons
The Girls at 17 Swann Street by Yara Zgheib

5.0

4.5 stars rounded up. A beautifully-written and fast-paced novel about Anna, a woman in her mid-20s struggling with anorexia. She and her husband, Mattias, are originally from Paris, but living in the midwest US for his job. Anna is a former ballet dancer and isolated from her family, friends, and everything she knows. She gets deeper into obsessive thoughts about food and exercise until her husband finally intervenes and sends her to an in-house treatment center at 17 Swann Street. There, she begins recovery and meets other women struggling with eating disorders. I especially loved the relationships with the other women in recovery and the support they gave each other, when they had sometimes so little to give themselves. It gives a realistic view on how our loved ones sometimes have blinders on to our problems despite being so close to us. Sometimes it's hard for us to see their struggles until it's too late. I really enjoyed this poetically-written novel with heart.