The Art of Starving

Matt hasn’t eaten in days. His stomach stabs and twists inside, pleading for a meal. But Matt won’t give in. The hunger clears his mind, keeps him sharp—and he needs to be as sharp as possible if he’s going to find out just how Tariq and his band of high school bullies drove his sister, Maya, away—what they did to make her steal off in the middle of the night without a word, a clue to where she was going, or even a good-bye. Matt’s hardworking mom keeps the kitchen crammed with food, but Matt can resist the siren call of casseroles and cookies because he has discovered something: the less he eats the more he seems to have . . . powers. The ability to see things he shouldn’t be able to see. The skill of tuning in to thoughts right out of people’s heads. Maybe even the authority to bend time and space. So what is lunch, really, compared to finding out the secrets of the universe? Matt decides to infiltrate Tariq’s life, then use his powers to uncover what happened. All he needs to do is keep the hunger and longing at bay, and find the truth. No problem. Except Matt doesn’t realize there are many kinds of hunger, and he isn’t in control of all of them. A darkly funny, heartrending story of body image, addiction, friendship, and love,J. Miller’s debut novel will resonate with any reader who’s ever craved the power that comes with self-acceptance.