Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher

Module 3: Adventure, Sports & Mystery

1.  BIBLIOGRAPHY

Crutcher, Chris. 1993. STAYING FAT FOR SARAH BYRNES. New York, NY: Bantam Doubleday. ISBN: 044021906X

2.  SUMMARY

Eric Calhoune, known by others as Moby (as in the whale due to his size), is a high school senior whose best friend, Sarah Byrnes, has been put in a mental hospital because she refuses to speak. Being disfigured by burns she received when she was a small child, Sarah Byrnes has always been a friend to Eric even when his excess weight made him an outcast at school. Now Sarah Byrnes needs Eric to be her strength like she was for him in junior high. Eric does not know who he can trust but finds himself turning to the most unlikely people to find a way to protect his best friend. This novel explores what it’s like to be an outcast, friendship, and about standing up for what is right.

3.  CRITICAL ANALYSIS

It is easy to see in this novel why author Chris Crutcher is the most challenged author in North America. With its main plot of bullying and abuse and the subplots of questioning faith, abortion and the questioning of authority; it is easy to see this selection could ruffle a few feathers. According to The ALAN Review, “Crutcher handles difficult topics such as abuse, abortion, and religious rigidity with his characteristic intelligence, humor, and empathy.” 

This book delves into many hot topic issues that teens will find interesting. The story revolves around two main characters, Eric and Sarah Byrnes, who demands her whole name be used. With burns on her face and her last name emphasizing the fact; it seems to be Sarah’s way of making others fell uncomfortable.  Being tough is the only way Sarah Byrnes has survived her disfiguring scars. Eric says in the book, "We became friends when I was as fat as she is ugly, and I promised a long time ago that I would never turn away from her--told us both that my feelings for her weren't selfish, that I didn't like her only because we shared 'terminal uglies', as she put it." Both characters share qualities that make them an easy target for bullies and bystanders who let things go and avoid the truth. And when Eric learns the truth about the burns to Sara’s face he emotionally states, "But Sarah Byrnes is my friend. She was with me when nobody else was. In the days of my life when my body embarrassed and humiliated me every time anyone laid eyes on me, Sarah Byrnes--this person with fifty times my reasons to be embarrassed and humiliated--walked with me, even ahead of me. I can't stand to imagine someone hurting her like that on purpose". The friendship and bond they share rings true throughout the entire book. The compassion he has for Sarah never falters. The relationship isn’t a boyfriend/girlfriend type as you would expect but one created by a common bond and a common zeal for standing up for themselves. Eric is a swimmer for his school's swim team and through rigorous training loses some weight. The title of the book is derived of his need to stay overweight for Sarah Byrnes for she cannot change her physical appearance and he feels the need to stay loyal to their pact and friendship.

Eric Calhoune narrates his and Sarah Byrnes story in the first person point of view. Presenting the stories in a series of flashbacks and present tense scenes, Eric weaves the story and the pieces that allow the reader bits and pieces to create their own whole story. The reader stays locked into the story due to Eric’s clear and thrilling narration. Also the first person narration works well for this book as the story of Sarah’s abuse becomes more evident, having Eric tell it as a bystander presents it in an objective manner.

The book is set in Spokane, Washington in the winter. The story is mostly told from either the hospital in which Sarah is a patient after she stopped talking or from the high school in which both she and Eric attend. The high school setting allows the atmosphere to develop and the conflicts of the teens to take place. The school becomes a character in itself with Eric not only dealing with Sarah’s physical abuse suffered by the hands of her father but also the dynamics between him and his swim team coach and his oft opinionated classmates. Subplots from the book come from a class called Contemporary American Issues, where current teen issues are discussed. Abortion, religion and suicide are topics explored and brought out through various character’s admissions, radical beliefs and attitudes about these issues. The focus of the story never leaves Sarah Byrnes, but Crutcher, like a skilled writing craftsman, weaves topics he knows will raise an interest and create a stir.

The epilogue wraps up the story nicely, showing the reader how everything worked out in the end so that everyone is happy. It is a bit too much of a fairy tale ending but one that leaves the reader optimistic of the character's futures.

4.  AWARDS/REVIEWS

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY review: "[A] transcendent story of love, loyalty and courage...Superb plotting, extraordinary character's and crackling narrative make this novel one to be devoured in a single unforgettable sitting."

BOOKLIST review:"...strong on relationships, long on plot, and has enough humor and suspense to make it an easy booktalk with appeal across gender lines."

SLJ review:"...A story about a friendship with staying power, written with pathos and pointed humor."

CHILDREN’S LITERATURE review: "Against a swimming backdrop Crutcher

BULLETIN/CENTER for the CHILDREN’S BOOK review: "Crutcher's teen-appealing style...keeps the colorfulness quotient high, and kids will appreciate the triumph of the underdog protagonists."

ALA Best Book for YA 1994
SLJ Best Book for YA 1993
American Booksellers Pick of the List
California Young Reader Medalist
1995 Joan Fassler Memorial Book Award
ALA Best of the Best Books for YA
Publisher's Weekly Starred Review
1994 South Dakota YARP Best Books
Nominee 1995-1996 Iowa Teen Award
Nominee 1995-1996 SC YA Book Award
Nominee 1996 Young Reader's Choice Award
Nominee 1996-1997 ILF Rosie

5.  CONNECTIONS

http://www.safechild.org Provides information on indications of physical abuse, booklists, and counseling information.

http://www.self-esteem-nase.org/ National Association for Self-Esteem. Provides information about self-esteem as well as activities and resources for building self-esteem

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/ Official web site for the National Institute of Mental Health. Provides information on mental health issues.

http://www.chriscrutcher.com/index.html Provides more information about the author.