Fat Angie by e. E. Charlton-Trujillo

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Fat Angie
by e. E. Charlton-Trujillo

One of the books I read this week was Charlton-Trujillo’s novel Fat Angie.  It’s primarily a standard prose novel with occasional interludes of definitions and some song lyrics which Angie and KC sing. It follows the story of freshman Angie, whose older sister gave up a basketball scholarship to serve in the air force, but was captured, tortured, and presumed dead.  Angie’s family has been messed up ever since then, with her parent divorcing, her adopted brother Wang acting out, and her mother completely turning into a cold, emotionally abusive bitch who just cannot be bothered to deal with the two kids she has left.  Angie reacted badly to the news of her sister’s capture and attempted to cut her wrists at school.  The thrust of the novel is Angie’s friendship with the new girl KC.  Eventually, KC come out to Angie as “gay-girl gay” and the two kiss.  Her brother Wang takes a cell phone photo of the two kissing, and sends it to some of his friends, who in turn spread it out throughout the school.  Angie is already very bullied at school, mostly because she’s overweight and because of her public attempted suicide, so she doesn’t handle being outed in the most gracious ways.  But thanks to the influence of KC , Angie has the confidence to try out for the varsity basketball team. She surprises herself and everyone else when her drive wins over the coach, who gives her one of two openings on the team. Unfortunately, Angie’s tormentor Stacy Ann gets the other spot. Both of the girls spend most of the season on the bench, but Angie sinks some very critical, game winning free throws in one game, which she imagines her sisters somewhere else somehow knowing.  Eventually, things come crashing down as KC resorts to cutting herself when her father refuses to accept her as gay.  Angie and her family find out that her sister’s remains have been found and are returned home for a funeral. But oddly enough, Angie finds solace once she come to terms with the loss of her sister.  While she’s deeply sad that her sister is gone, a part of her is relieved to know she’s no longer somewhere suffering and thinking of her family back home. After a reunion with KC, Angie has the courage to mail her sister the letter she had written, even though she knows no one will ever receive it.  The books handles some very serious subjects, such as self-harm, suicide, coming out to your parents, bullying, and an emotionally abusive mother. I thought it was a great book, and I can see why it won a Stonewall Book Award.