All That Fills Us

I chose this book to read because of the cross-country hiking involved in the plot.  My husband and both my children are adventurers, while I sit home and support them by sending resupply packages.  

Melanie Ellis is on the brink of a total body breakdown between starving herself and compulsively exercising.  She has fainted, injured herself, and managed to find herself in the hospital again.  When she is released, she promises to check into rehab, but instead, packs her backpack, grabs what little food she has in her apartment, and walks away with only a map and  a quest on her mind.  She takes what little cash she has and sets out to walk to Mount Rainier in Washington state from Grand Rapids, Michigan.  

What makes this book so interesting is not Mel's thought processes, but the people she meets along the way who support her, help her, get inside her mind and prove to her she's worth more than she values herself. One line in the book (and I'm going to misquote it) made the whole book worthwhile to read.  It said something like, "Before I meant anything to anyone, I meant everything to God." 

This is a book about eating and exercise disorders, but it could be translated to many other disorders and the impact other people can have on our lives.  It is a book about loving others, loving yourself, but most importantly finding your love for God through finding God's love for you.  

Generally I hate buzz-words, but there are a few toxic characters in this book who are oblivious to their own toxicity, and that alone makes things harder for Mel and her recovery.  Autumn Lytle writes with first-hand knowledge of the disorder and the struggles to overcome.  I hope that this book will be widely received because those who have an eating disorder will get to say, "Someone gets me!  Someone finally understands." 

In many ways this book is a metaphor for how unprepared each of us is for this journey called life.  

Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and prayers for those who are going through the struggle of an eating disorder. 

Revell Publishing and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review.  All opinions expressed are solely my own.