The Weight of Him: A Novel

LOCAL SAN FRANCISCO AUTHOR

When Billy Brennan’s son commits suicide, he is left deep in grief and regret, unable to connect with his wife and remaining two children. Billy’s life is truly out of control, as is his weight, which reaches over four hundred pounds. His plan for a weight loss fund raising money for suicide prevention has little support, but it seems that, for him, it is his only path to redemption.

This is a difficult subject, although it is well written and believable. The strain between Billy and his grief-stricken wife is palpable. The reader will worry for this family: the isolated wife, the angry son, and the too compliant daughter. Billy is in trouble at work as well. He can’t seem to focus on a life that has lost meaning. The reader will worry that Billy will take his own life or harm himself through his aggressive diet and exercise program; he wants to lose half his weight. Billy works as a toy inspector. The damaged toys stand in for his family, and he builds a model life for them and attempts to rebuild his own.