Edie and Richard Middlestein have been married for over 30 years, enjoying their family life in Chicago. But as their relationship stops growing and Richard decides to leave, all Edie can seem to do is grow. She is obsessed with food and eating. Will the family save her from herself? Will Richard come back and continue loving every ounce of her? One particular scene in The Middlesteins made me realize just how much this woman is eating: Edie's daughter-in-law follows her from the house to McDonald's, then to Burger King, and on to the Chinese restaurant, watching Edie order, eat and throw away the evidence at every stop. Visualizing this scene put into perspective just how much Edie was consuming, and I was disturbed by how much one person could consume.
While I enjoyed the characters in this book—their wants and desires, their pet peeves and hatred toward the actions of others—the ending left me a bit unfulfilled. But overall I was entertained.