Cardboard: A woman left for dead

Alone in her tiny hotel room Lucy wonders what she should do? Is she really sick or just homesick? Reluctantly, she decides to fly to an English speaking country. And to her embarrassment is taken off the plane in a wheelchair. Hospitalized she undergoes a range of treatments - some harsh, some ineffective, others insightful and intelligent. Cleverly observed, Lucy invites the reader to make sense of what it means to be ill. To understand why eating has become impossible. Why life has become impossible. And as she fleshes out her journey towards recovery, demands her distress be understood. When it was first published Cardboard was recognized as a compelling portrait. Similarly today when much of the focus on eating disorders concerns decoding the genetics, this novel continues to provide an understanding of the individual's affective experience and the socio-cultural context in which it occurs. "One of the best novels ever to be published in Australia." Amanda Lohrey