A Tuesday announcement from Publishers Weekly revealed that an as-yet untitled Dumplin' sequel is coming in 2018. Author Julie Murphy's second novel hit store shelves on September 15th, 2015. Publishers Weekly describes the sequel as a "companion novel ... which follows supporting characters from the first book."
In the months since its release, Dumplin' has drawn praise for its fat-positivity. The plot centers on Willowdean, a.k.a. Dumplin', a fierce fat girl who doesn't let anyone keep her down. When a mutual crush shakes her self-confidence, she enters the Miss Teen Blue Bonnet Beauty Pageant in order to get her groove back.
Dumplin' has a 4.3-star rating on Amazon, as of this writing. That's with zero 1-star reviews, mind you. Murphy's novel owes its popularity, in large part, to its importance. Book Riot's Kelly Jensen summed up the novel's appeal in her review:
We rarely get stories where the fat girl gets to be funny, have friendships, have romances, and have challenges unrelated to her body/"health" of her body. [...] So that Murphy gives Willowdean that voice? That’s powerful as hell, and teen girls who read this….FAT teen girls who read this…will see that they matter. That they are seen. That THEIR lives matter and are important and they are welcome and encouraged to take up all the space in their lives that they need to.
Here's to the Dumplin' sequel — may it be as empowering as its predecessor.
Look for Murphy's third novel in 2018 at a bookstore near you.
Image: Horia Varlan/flickr
