Topic 3: Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher

Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes

Crutcher, Chris. Staying Fat For Sarah Byrnes. New York: Greenwillow Books, 1993. ISBN: 0688115527.

Chris Crutcher’s STAYING FAT FOR SARAH BYRNES is a story about friendship, secrets, revenge and ultimate betrayals. Eric “Moby” Calhoune is worried about his friend Sarah Byrnes who has slipped into a catatonic-like state, refusing to respond to anyone. He sets out to pull her through this, whatever might have caused her to cut herself off from her friends. With the help of a teammate and a former enemy, Moby begins to piece together the enigma of Sarah Byrnes, “terminal ugly” and all out tough girl. Moby also faces a more personal challenge in the form of Jody Mueller, a girl he has liked for years, but also the girlfriend of his swim teammate and rival, Mark Bishop. Secrets and lies unfurl in this story to end with betrayals and hard lessons of personal accountability.

Though Crutcher’s story is told through the eyes of a teenage boy, the adults in the story are in no way bystanders. The actions that are taken by the teens are influenced in major ways by the adults they come into contact with. It is because of her father that Sarah Byrnes is in the psychiatric ward. “I started having dreams about the stove. He my face against it, Eric…I got the same feeling I had that day he burned me, and I decided if I had the feeling it was probably right.” (Crutcher, 145.) Moby’s Contemporary American Thought teacher, Mrs. Lemry, lays her life and career on the line to take Sarah Byrnes in after the girl runs from the hospital and helps her track down her mother. Moby’s stepfather steps up in an unexpected way at the conclusion of the book to keep the teenagers safe from Mr. Byrnes.

Crutcher’s story, told straight forward, pulls the reader farther in until there is no putting the book down until the puzzle is complete. Moments of hilarity are mixed with sadness and sometimes horror at the actions of characters. Crutcher’s “strong themes of friendship and tolerance are intertwined in a skillfully developed plot replete with realistic, complex characters.” (Makowski, 39). The wit of the main characters and the sheer toughness of Sarah Byrnes encourage the reader to root for the underdog. “The self-deprecating humor of Moby's narrative and the high drama of the classroom scenes (some of the best of the book) keep the reader involved in the compelling issues that drive the plot to its conclusion.” (Makowski, 39). The end of the story is touching, optimistic and, yes, a touch predictable. But as Moby says, “Part of me wishes life were more predictable and part of me is excited that it’s not.” (Crutcher, 295.)

Reference List:
Makowski, Marilyn. Review of Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes. Book Report Vol. 12 Issue 1 (May/Jun 1993), 39.
Crutcher, Chris. Staying Fat For Sarah Byrnes. New York: Greenwillow Books, 1993. 145.
Crutcher, 295.