Willing Flesh by Jay O’Connell

Willing Flesh by Jay O’Connell is a tale about the battle of the bulge and going to (almost) any length to win it.

I relate to the struggle of Garrison to gain control of diet and exercise. In twelve step addictions recovery, the participants speak of a willingness to go to any length to free themselves. And so it is with Garrison. Garrison hates to exercise. He hates to diet. He hates his morbid obesity even more. The attraction of the weight loss/diet/exercise program Garrison turns to is that he doesn't have to experience any of the hardships of the program while reaping the rewards. Sounds great to me! But Garrison's life spins out of his control as the program takes over. Results are astounding and miraculous, but at the cost of who Garrison was. In the real world, all of us suffering from morbid obesity must lose ourselves to save ourselves. So it is with Garrison. He struggles to regain control of the new Garrison. End the end, the author sends a deus ex machina to resolve Garrison's struggle. As Lois Tilton says, "the author is pretty kind to Garrison". A fun story to think about as I struggle to save/lose myself.

Refernces

• Willing Flesh by Jay O’Connell. Philipp Michel Reichold.
• Asimov's Science Fiction. April-May 2015. "Willing Flesh." Jay O’Connell.

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