The Fattening Hut

Collins, Pat Lowry. The Fattening Hut. Houghton Mifflin, 2003. ISBN: 0-618-30955-1.

Plot Summary

Helen is in the fattening hut behind her father's house. The women in her tribe bring her several meals a day and all Helen has to do is eat the food and stay in the hut so that she gets heavy and curvy like a woman. Then she will be married. While in the hut, Helen hears about a ceremony called cutting. Her older sister vaguely answers some questions but the procedure isn't clear. Helen is afraid and she doesn't want to be married. She would rather be like her aunt- unmarried, living outside of the village. So Helen escapes, but she is pursued.

Critical Evaluation

Collin's novel admirably tackles a difficult subject- female genital mutilation, which is sometimes called female circumcision. However, she approaches the topic too obtusely. It wasn't until I read the author's afterword that I was sure that the "cutting" referred to in the text was FGM. The young adults who are the book's primary audience will probably be even more confused. Also, by inventing her own culture for the setting of the book rather than writing factually about a single culture, Collins' moral and political message loses footing against practitioners of FGM. This is not an argument for cultural relativism, but given the likely objections I wonder why Collins didn't chose to tell the tale of one of the women she mentions in the afterword. The true tale of a woman who left her own culture because she abhorred its practices would have been a stronger message. On the other hand, the vagueness of the story and the fact that she doesn't criticize any group in particular will make it harder for groups to take offense. It is not worth sacrificing the story to avoid criticism.

Subject matter aside, the book is well written. Helen's escape through the jungle is exciting for all of the details and the poetic form of the book is interesting, if only for its uniqueness.

Reader's Annotation

Helen is in the fattening hut, eating so that she will be voluptuous- with the body of a woman and ready for marriage. If that isn't bad enough she learns of a tradition called cutting that all of the women seem to know about but no one wants to talk about. The only woman who never went into the hut is Helen's aunt, who now lives alone, outside of the village. Given the choices, what would you choose?

About the Author

Pat Lowry Collins was raised in Hollywood CA. She went to USC and earned a Bachelor's in English. She now lives in New England with her husband. They have five grown children. She currently teaches creative writing at Lesley University.

Genre

Realistic Fiction

Curriculum Ties

Novels in verse

Cultural relativism

FGM

Booktalking Ideas

Every day that Helen waits in the hut is one day closer to the cutting, but what choice does she have?

Reading Level/ Interest Age

Grades 6-8

Controversial Subject Matter and Defense of Ideas

The subject of The Fattening Hut is female genital mutilation (FGM) or female circumcision. Some say that the practice is an honored cultural tradition equivalent to male circumcision. Others describe the practice as mutilation. It is a controversial subject, for sure. However, the practice is only alluded to, allowing readers to image a practice that is disturbing but unspecific. Teachers and parents may choose to explain further as they see fit. Furthermore, the subject is relevant to this age group as the procedure is often done at puberty.

Why book was Included

Recommended by a classmate