Devil in the Details: part deux

This week I finished “Devil in the Details” by Jennifer Traig. [See previous post for information on the book.] In my opinion, I thought the book itself was a bit bland and light on facts; I had believed the book would be more centered on Traig’s scrupulosity, but instead it focused mainly on her interfaith family and humorous situations of her abnormal life. The last half of the book highlighted Traig’s extreme kosher diet, which as she advanced through high school, morphed into bizarre forms of anorexia. Traig went through numerous ‘diet phases’ including; only eating ‘hermetically sealed processed-cheese singles and a low calorie bread whose chief ingredient was wood pulp.’ [Page 178], only consuming carrots and cantaloupe; which turned Traig an unsightly shade of orange, and of course, the insanely kosher meals.
“It was just a brief trip back East to help move her elderly aunts, but it couldn’t have come at a better time. I could take my eating disorder in the exciting new direction I’d been contemplating for a while.” [Page 178] This quote is quite disturbing, showing that her eating disorder wasn’t just a brief idea, but thoroughly contemplated and researched.
Also as Traig’s collegiate life approached, our antagonist became obsessed with improving her resume. Traig joined as many clubs as her well packed schedule could fit: French club, student council, literary club, honor society, service club and the school’s theater program. Coming from a middle class town and never being athletically talented, Traig panicked, believing no quality college would ever want her; the possibly insane Jewish girl.