Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes
Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes is the story of an overweight teen nicknamed Moby and Sarah Byrnes, a teen girl burned at
the age of three by her abusive father. The two teens form a friendship of the "terminally ugly," and through the friendship
the truth about Sarah's burns is uncovered.
The strength of this novel for young adults lies in its characterization. As Vasilakis said, "Crutcher possesses
a novelist's greatest asset: an ability to create people who are real and believable and about whom the reader can care deeply"
(1993). Eric "Moby" Calhoune is witty, smart, and likeable. His dialogue reads with a snappy beat. The following
is the way Moby describes the school tough guy, Dale Thornton:
"His curly brown hair clung matted to his forehead, and my olfactory senses said without question it was closing in on
the time of month when the Thorntons should consider emptying the moonshine out of the bathtub."
Sarah Byrnes doesn't let anything penetrate her thick outer shell of resistence that she has built over her life.
She is smart, defensive, and quick with comebacks -- a strong, young female character, though one with problems. Moby's narration
is fast paced and entertaining, appelaing to any young adult. The pace of the story is also appealing - with sports,
religeous and moral debate, and teenage gimmicks all taking center stage. But at the center of the novel is the friendship
of Moby and Sarah Byrnes and the real and horrible crisis of Sarah's abusive father. When Sarah goes into a fake catatonic
state out of fear of her father, the novel heats up with Moby trying to help Sarah without breaking her confidence.
Other characters in the novel figure prominently at this time, such as Judy who had an abortion at the insistence of her "righteous"
boyfriend Mark.
Crutcher's ability to characterize Moby and Sarah in such a way that the reader really cares for the outcome is the success
of the novel. The story is ultimately one of survival for Sarah Byrnes. Other characters also grow and change
through the novel, including the Christian fundamentalist Mark. These changes make the characters even more real and
accessible to the reader.
The novel does end on a positive note, giving the reader a sense of hope for the future of the characters.
Using sports, romance, religeon and humor as backdrops, Crutcher created a very entertaining and thought provoking novel of
friendship, survival and growth.
Crutcher, Chris. Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes. New York: Greenwillow Books, 1993. ISBN 0688115527.
