The Obvious Game [Paperback]

Rita Arens (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 7, 2013

"Everyone trusted me back then. Good old, dependable Diana. Which is why most people didn't notice at first."

"Lovely, evocative, painful and joyful all  in one ... much like high school." -- Jenny Lawson, author of LET'S PRETEND THIS NEVER HAPPENED

"I couldn't put down THE OBVIOUS GAME. Arens perfectly captures the hunger, pain and uncertainty of adolescence." -- Ann Napolitano, author of A GOOD HARD LOOK and WITHIN ARM'S REACH

"THE OBVIOUS GAME is a fearless, honest, and intense look into the psychology of anorexia. The characters--especially Diana--are so natural and emotionally authentic that you'll find yourself yelling at the page even as you're compelled to turn it." -- Coert Voorhees, author of LUCKY FOOLS and THE BROTHERS TORRES

"Let's be clear about one thing: there's nothing obvious about THE OBVIOUS GAME. Arens has written a moving, sometimes heart-breaking story about one girl's attempt to control the uncontrollable. You can't help but relate to Diana and her struggles as you delve into this gem of a novel." -- Risa Green, author of THE SECRET SOCIETY OF THE PINK CRYSTAL BALL

"THE OBVIOUS GAME explores the chasms between conformity and independence, faith and fear, discoveries and secrets, first times and last chances, hunger and satisfaction. The tortured teenage experience is captured triumphantly within the pages of this unflinching, yet utterly relatable, novel. - Erica Rivera, author of INSATIABLE: A YOUNG MOTHER'S STRUGGLE WITH ANOREXIA

The Obvious Game is a contemporary, realistic young adult novel set in small town Iowa in 1990. For more background information and a playlist that goes along with the chapter titles, visit ritaarens.com. For signed bookplates, email [e-mail].

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

As I work on my next book, I'd love to hear from readers of THE OBVIOUS GAME what they liked and didn't like about Diana and her friends and their experiences. If you'd like me to Skype into your book club to discuss THE OBVIOUS GAME, please contact me at [e-mail].

About the Author

Rita Arens is the author of young adult novel THE OBVIOUS GAME (InkSpell Publishing, 2013) and the editor of the award-winning parenting anthology SLEEP IS FOR THE WEAK (Chicago Review Press, 2008). She blogs at Surrender, Dorothy. For more info visit ritaarens.com. She lives with her husband and daughter in Kansas City.

Product Details

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: Inkspell Publishing (February 7, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 098565628X
• ISBN-13: 978-0985656287
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.7 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,432,127 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Rita Arens lives in Kansas City with her husband and daughter. She is BlogHer's (www.blogher.com) senior editor and the author of the popular blog Surrender, Dorothy (www.surrenderdorothyblog.com).

Arens is the author of the contemporary realistic young adult novel, The Obvious Game (InkSpell Publishing, 2013) and is editor of the award-winning parenting anthology Sleep Is for the Weak (Chicago Review Press, 2008).

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Heartfelt and truthful, "The Obvious Game" captures adolesence angst and humor January 23, 2013

By B. Sullivan

Format:Paperback

First of all, I was given the chance to read an advance copy of this book for review purposes. I have not been compensated in any way (other than being given a PDF copy of this book) and my opinion on the book are entirely my own.

Second, this book contains depictions and discussion of disordered eating/anorexia and cancer and may be triggering for some people.

15 year old Diana Keller is having a really hard time. Her mom is sick, incredibly sick, with cancer and that's a lot to deal with. Her friends are maturing and changing and she's feeling left behind and left out. And she's tired of being Fat Diana. She meets Jesse, a new arrival in their tiny rural town, and they start dating, and she wants to be perfect for him. So she starts doing something... she starts exercising, a lot. And she stops eating.

It... doesn't really help.

This is a pretty unflinching look at ED and the way it impacts people. Arens really digs into the mindset of ED, the obsession, the logic and illogical. It's beautifully written, but sometimes hard to read because it's so meaty. Despite the meatiness, however, there's a lot of humor in the book, and a lot of hope. Diana is, ultimately, lucky: she has some very good friends, and a very close and supportive family. A lot of people notice that Something Is Wrong and do their best to help her. Arens also draws parallels between acceptable ED (young men trying to drop weight to get into a lower weight class for sports) and unacceptable ED (young women trying to drop weight because women are supposed to take up as little space as possible).

If you're of a certain age, you might have spent Junior High and High School inundated with "problem books" or "issue books," edifying fiction novels usually featuring teen aged women who have SERIOUS problems in an unending stream. Their parents have cancer or are dead, they have cancer, they want to be concert pianists but break their arms on the weekend before The Big Audition, someone is beating them, someone is raping them, they can't stop shop lifting, etc. They were depressing books. It would be easy to glance at this book and see "mom has cancer" and "ED" and assume it's more of the same. It really is not, however. There's far too much hope, humor, and support in the book. Additionally, giving a character's mom cancer is usually a way to write mom out of the picture while giving the protag some big drama thing that shapes them. Arens manages to center Diana's relationship with her mom. Her mom has cancer, but she's still mom, and she's still important.

There are two other things I adored about the book. One is Diana's best guy friend. They love each other very much and trust and respect each other and are siblings with different parents, basically. They are very close emotionally and comfort each other physically (hugs, cuddles) but there's no romantic pressure or expectations. I really hate the idea that men and women can't be FRIENDS because SEX/ROMANCE IS INEVITABLE. So it's super refreshing to see a positive, affirming heterosexual relationship. And speaking of sex, another thing I liked is that Diana has sex and doesn't get shamed/punished for it. She worries briefly about the consequences of pregnancy and if her boyfriend will still respect her, but he does. She worries her parents will find out, but they don't. (and if they did, well, they stick by her in every other way so I doubt finding out she got her bone on would be the end of the world) One of her best friends is well known for "kissing" every available guy she sees, and another has a very serious boyfriend and spends a lot of time behind closed doors with him. Neither gets in trouble/shamed for their actions. Whaaat! Young women have sex and it's not the end of the world!?! ADORE.

That said, I think my absolute favorite scene in the book is Diana's snippy Passive-Aggressive "attack" on a teacher she doesn't like. She cracks open "Bartlett's Familiar Quotations" and slips a saying about hypocrisy under his door. Oh, nerdy teen angst, I adore and identify with you!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars THE OBVIOUS GAME is a compelling read about an unwelcome compulsion February 6, 2013

By Angela_Amman

Format:Paperback

I couldn't wait to read THE OBVIOUS GAME. As a mother who's always fought against body image issues, I feel compelled to learn more about girls and their self esteem and how someone goes from wondering why the rules are different for them to redefining the rules all together.

Like so many girls, Diana goes to high school each day feeling a little prickly and wraps herself in her own inadequacies. Her mother is undergoing cancer treatment, her best friend is exerting her pretty-girl power and Diana wonders how Jesse can possibly be interested in someone carrying a few extra pounds -- ignoring the emotional baggage that's actually insulating her from the world.

A conversation between Diana and her friend Seth is one of the strongest passages of the book and truly gets to the crux of why some girls and women fall dangerously into a pattern of disordered eating while others just touch the edges of extreme dieting.

Arens' attention to detail make THE OBVIOUS GAME a wonderful read, from her uncomfortable -- but realistic -- foray into teen drinking and sexual relationships to her album-named chapters

THE OBVIOUS GAME is well worth your time. Obviously. (Sorry. Couldn't resist.)

I received a copy of The Obvious Game to review. All opinions are my own.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A tender, thoughtfully written YA novel February 4, 2013

By Kelli Oliver-George

Format:Paperback

I was very excited to read this book and I was not disappointed. THE OBVIOUS GAME is the story of a teenage girl living in a small-town in Iowa. Diana's world is falling apart as her mother battles cancer and just as Diana takes part in that delicate social dance known as "high school". Her best friend (who is not always the nicest person in the first place) is losing her own footing and her other friend is too wrapped up in her new boyfriend to take notice of the downward spiral that Diana is in. And soon, Diana has a new boyfriend of her, which makes things even more interesting. As Diana navigates all the challenges that life is throwing at her, she finds herself on the path to an eating disorder.

I really appreciated how Rita eloquently and respectfully approached the dissonance of living in a small town. Yes, there can be a safe, cozy embrace of being surrounded by people and traditions that never, ever change. But the environment can become stifling, particularly if you are a teenage girl trying to find yourself but are limited by the constraints of a small town mentality that expect you to never change or God forbid, to be different (Not that I am bitter about my own small-town experiences. Never.) Generally, I thought Rita's observations of living in a small-town were spot-on.

As a mother, this was interesting for me to read. I probably had far more sympathy for Diana's mother than I did Diana (Obviously, I will need to become more sympathetic for the Plight and Angst of the American Teenager in about 6 years. Ahem.) Still, I felt it was important for me to read this book as a mother of a daughter. I thought Rita was compelling in the way she depicted Diana's gradual march into her eating disorder. It did not happen over night. And as a mother, I am glad that I read about some of the methods girls use to hide their eating disorders. I had no idea.