Leanne Ellul had a close brush with anorexia six years ago, but she believes the eating disorder never leaves for good and her mind is still counting the calories.
The young woman lost 25 kilos in six months when she was aged 20, coming very close to becoming anorexic.
Four years later, she put pen to paper and wrote her first book, which is about what goes through the mind of someone battling the disorder – that could lead to death.
Gramma – the first novel of its sort in Maltese – was launched at the Malta Book Festival in November and the first print of 1,000 copies has already sold out.
The novel, which won the Young Adult Literature Award in 2014 and was then published by Merlin Publishers, is aimed at teenagers.
It provides a snapshot into the life of 14-year old Analiża, bringing out the reality of the pain of those suffering from eating disorders.
By calling the book Gramma (Maltese for gram), Ms Ellul also wanted to hint at the addictive nature of such disorders. She had always had issues with her eating patterns and even after overcoming the battle six years ago, her mind is “still doing the sums”.
“Eating disorders never leave you for good. That voice is always at the back of your mind and my mind at times still counts the calories,” she said.
But the novel is not a moral lesson on anorexia.
“The book – as is usually the case with authors’ first books – was inspired by my own experience. However, the aim was not to tell my own personal story of how I dealt with the eating disorder, or give readers any tips and suggestions.
“I realised we needed more books for adolescents in Maltese that amongst others talk about food and health, and which – instead of lecturing or instilling fear – encourage teenagers to think about the decisions they make,” Ms Ellul told this newspaper.
Eating disorders do not discriminate. They affect people of all ages and sexes
Ms Ellul was speaking to the Times of Malta following a discussion with students at the San Benedettu Secondary School in Kirkop.
The event, which kicked off a week dedicated to the Maltese language at the same school, is one in a series where Ms Ellul speaks to students about her experience of writing her first book.
Ms Ellul encourages the students to jot down something every day if they aspire to publish a book and she also gives them tips about some of her own writing secrets. Her audience at Kirkop was her first all-male audience. Men are no strangers to eating disorders and boys as young as 13 start going to the gym because they are concerned about their body image.
“Eating disorders do not discriminate. They affect people of all ages and sexes. There are people who get in touch after reading the book as they feel it helped them understand their own train of thought and battle with anorexia, bulimia and orthorexia among others,” she explained.
The book’s popularity was a welcome surprise for Merlin Publishers director Chris Gruppetta as young adults read less, and crucially much less in Maltese.
Gramma in fact broke all records for Merlin Publishers. It was published in November of last year – with a print run of a 1,000 copies – and within six months it was already sold out. The publishers are now working on a second edition which will be out by the end of May.
“It is the first book which tackles anorexia in a fresh, non-patronising style. Young readers will automatically identify with it because it has a lot of street credibility,” Dr Gruppetta added.