Have you ever thought your life would be better "if only" you were thinner? If so, you will relate to the struggles of the main characters of Keeper of the Scale, a contemporary novel revolving around three very different women who unexpectedly bond as diet buddies. The desire to be thinner is what connects them through this often laugh-out-loud yet ultimately moving journey about learning who you really are... and what it means to have a buddy.
Diet buddies. Friends. Women.
Meet Janine, Margarite and Rebecca, three dynamic women with seemingly little in common except the desire to lose weight. Armed with a hot pink scale, they form a unique diet support group, holding weekly "check-ins" in a rather unusual location—the snack area of their local big chain superstore. The goal was to save time, by combining meetings with shopping, but talk quickly moves beyond dieting. Slowly, the women connect on a much deeper level and ultimately learn more about each other and themselves than how to shed some pounds. This is their story…
Janine is the mother hen and driving force behind the "Diet Buddies Dropouts" break-away support group. The 35-year-old stay-at-home mom left an exciting career in the fast paced world of public relations to look after her kids. Channeling the same drive and energy she used to put into her work towards her new, domestic life, she runs an organized, immaculate home, becomes a soccer mom, head of the PTA, and whiz at arranging playdates. But living off her kids' leftovers has left her forty pounds heavier than her normal weight. She tells herself if she could just get her weight back under control, everything would be perfect. Yet, even as the pounds drop, she can't help feeling that there's still something missing… something more than extra pounds.
Margarite is an attractive divorced middle-aged single mom of two teenagers. She's become something of a celebrity with her best-selling cookbook series. Though slender and fit, she thinks, like so many women, that being even thinner will make her appear younger. Fast approaching the "big 5-0," she believes losing weight is the perfect way to show off to her ex-husband how great she is doing on her own. It's been five years since they split up, but she can't seem to say no to jumping through hoops for him whenever he comes to town. Meanwhile, he has had no trouble relocating and dating other women. She knows she needs to move on too, but struggles to let go of the past and begin building a new life of her own.
Rebecca is a young college student and talented, budding artist who dreams of graduating, backpacking throughout Europe, and making it as a painter. Her older fiancé, however, has other plans—like marriage and starting a life together. But all Rebecca can think about is her art and how to afford a dream summer getaway. She believes modeling may be her ticket, but is told her size six figure won't cut it in today's competitive market. While dieting she starts to ponder more than how to fit into the new "perfect size two." She begins to reflect over painful areas of her life and question her future.