Review: All That Fills Us by Autumn Lytle

 

All That Fills Us

by Autumn Lytle

 

About the Book

 

Mel Ellis knows that her eating disorder is ruining her life. But she can’t bring herself to go to rehab so someone else can fix her mess. Broken and empty in more ways than one, Mel makes one last-ditch effort to make hers a story worth telling. She will walk her own road to recovery along the lesser-known trails of the North American wilderness.

 

Though she is physically and mentally unprepared to face the difficulties that lay ahead, she sets off on foot from Grand Rapids, Michigan, and heads toward Mount Rainier National Park in Washington State. During the long journey, she meets strangers with their own stories, as well as ghosts from her past who can no longer be ignored. But though the land she travels threatens her success at every turn, it’s her own dark thoughts she’ll have to overcome in order to find peace in the life and body she has been given.

 

With pitch-perfect timing and delightfully witty self-awareness, debut author Autumn Lytle masterfully leads readers on a journey down the hard path toward healing.

 

My Thoughts

 

Raw, true, and ultimately hopeful, debut author Autumn Lytle offers us a tale of self-realization in the midst of crisis that is beautifully told.

 

From the moment I heard about this book, I was excited to read it. It did not disappoint. I found this book so hard to put down. The writing is addictive for its beautiful prose and its thoughtfulness. In Mel, we find a heroine that I think many of us can relate to. At the root of her eating disorder, Mel struggles with self-worth and finding her place in the world, issues that are universal. You feel her pain as you read her story and she is just the sort of character you want to hug. Her voice will resonate with you long after you turn the last page.

 

The beauty and the cruelty of nature are portrayed vividly throughout the book as Mel travels from Michigan to Washington State on foot. Moments of dealing with intense heat and chilling rain serve as a metaphor of the destructive thoughts that Mel faces, and the wonder of gazing at stars in the midst of a corn field, or finally reaching the majestic Mount Rainier portray the beauty that we can feel in our own lives. The people Mel meets on her journey are a fitting part of the backdrop to this story, as well. Each of them teaches Mel valuable lessons, helping her to see herself from a new and healthier perspective.

 

All That Fills Us is a book that anyone can relate to and take away something from. Coupled with the author’s lovely prose, it made this book a truly satisfying read. I hope to read many more books by Autumn Lytle in the future. Highly recommended.

 

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.