Growing up in rapidly gentrifying 90s Harlem, Malaya struggles to fit into a world that makes no room for her. She’s funny, creative and smart, but all people see, even those who love her, is her size. At eight, she is forced to go to Weight Watchers; at twelve, her parents fear she’ll be taken from them; by sixteen, a gastric bypass is discussed. But tensions at home are mounting as rapidly as Malaya’s weight, and soon a family tragedy forces her to finally face the source of her hunger on her own terms. An extraordinary debut novel shot through with remarkable nuance and tenderness, Big Girl is the unforgettable portrait of a queer Black girl as she learns to take up space in the world.
