To The Last Gram by Shreya Davies & Vanessa Wong

I am a naturally vindictive person, but disordered eating is a hell I wouldn’t wish on even my worst enemy.

To The Last Gram tells the story of Divya, who realizes from an early age that she isn’t as petite as most of the other girls around her. Perhaps shockingly for an Asian kid growing up in Singapore, neither her parents nor her friends try to shame her into being skinnier: society does that all on its own. After the government, via her secondary school, essentially tells her that she’s fat and needs to manage her weight with the help of an obesity clinic, Divya develops an eating disorder. Her parents do their best to try to help her be healthy, but they’re woefully unprepared to deal with the psychological challenge; and no shade to them because it is A Lot.

This book chronicles Divya’s struggles to get back to healthiness, and is so rawly told, so intimate in the details, that it’s hard to believe it’s entirely fiction. Divya takes great pains to exonerate her parents of any blame, squarely and correctly placing the responsibility for her sickness on a society that drums into the heads of its citizens — and especially young people — an irrational fear of being anything but skinny. Gaining weight is too often seen as a moral failing that opens you up to public ridicule worse than actually committing any crimes. Physical health is given less importance than aesthetics.

And I should know: I grew up in neighboring Malaysia, where I was considered borderline overweight at 5’2″ and 135 lbs, never mind that I was a very active (and if I do say so myself attractive) size 6. I swam and ran regularly and had no trouble dancing all night as I pursued my career in theater there. Moving to the US was a revelation, as I was firmly below average as a size medium. It probably helped too that heroin chic was finally falling out of fashion, and that Hollywood was no longer pushing anorexic bodies as desirable. Which isn’t to let the Global North completely off the hook: fatphobia is dire here, too, and BMI charts are still the devil.

Going back to the graphic novel, Divya does eventually learn how to be at peace with her body, even as she realizes that disordered eating is something she’ll have to keep staying vigilant against probably for as long as she lives. The book overall is really moving and worthwhile, especially for anyone who’s struggled to accept themselves, and gone to great and unhealthy lengths to fit themselves to other people’s standards.

While Vanessa Wong’s character work and static art here are lovely, I did find myself occasionally annoyed by the layouts, which often interrupted the flow of the story as I tried to figure out where exactly I was supposed to be reading next. Layouts are a common problem for novice (and even advancing) graphic novelists, and is hopefully a skill that this artist can work on to help strengthen her storytelling capabilities. Both she and Ms Davies are creators to watch, however, especially in the Southeast Asian graphic novels field.

To The Last Gram by Shreya Davies & Vanessa Wong was published May 12 2026 by Difference Engine and is available from all good booksellers, including