My Confection: Odyssey of a Sugar Addict

Kotin, a director and actor living in Los Angeles, describes herself as being a sugar addict from a young age. Though this frank memoir recounts the author’s early family life, the majority of her story is devoted to the chaos that the addiction created during her 20s. Kotin chronicles her constant feeling of emptiness, discomfort with her body, troubled family relationships, casual and disappointing sexual and romantic relationships, and an inability to settle on a career path. When life becomes hard and Kotin’s self-loathing sets in, she turns to soothing herself with copious amounts of sugar-laced foods. Kotin describes devouring dozens of cookies or an entire loaf of freshly baked bread—the bread so hot that it burns and blisters her mouth. Health issues begin to plague her, and following a serious scare, Kotin seeks help. Thirty years after her initial rejection of Overeaters Anonymous, Kotin finds a haven within that group. Her narrative makes for exhausting reading, but it convincingly depicts the decades-long emotional and physical traumas she endured. (Jan.)