The Boy Who Loved Apples

A mother's battle with her son's anorexia

Brave, honest and ultimately uplifting, *The Boy Who Loved Apples *is a compelling and beautifully written account of life with an eating disorder, and a gritty, moving testament to a mother’s love.

When it became clear that Amanda Webster’s eleven-year-old son Riche was not just a little too skinny but dangerously ill, people were often surprised.

Do boys get anorexia? they would ask. How did he get it?

That was the question Amanda asked herself, too. She had trained as a doctor; she knew that every disease has a cause. And if her son had an eating disorder, she wondered what the cause could possibly be but something she and her husband Kevin had done—or failed to do? 

Quick to blame both Kevin and herself, worried about how her two other kids were coping, Amanda also found herself at odds with a medical establishment that barely understood Riche’s illness, far less how to treat it. And as she embarked on the long, agonising process of saving her son’s life she found herself battling not just Riche’s demons but her own.

Amanda Webster graduated from the University of Western Australia as a doctor, following in the footsteps of her father and grandfather. She left medicine to raise a family with her husband, Kevin. Amanda turned to writing after her son Riche’s illness and is currently an MFA candidate in the low residency program at City University of Hong Kong. Her work has appeared in several US literary journals.

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'...this book is a reminder of the sheer grit it takes to come out the other side of some of life’s unfair deals. Webster shows courage, tenacity and love, both tender and tough. She is an inspiration.' The Hoopla Literary Society 

'The moving story of a mother’s endless, no limits, unconditional love. Gripping.' Jacinta Tynan

'Amanda Webster writes with humour, honesty and hope to create a powerful page turning tale of survival.' Kate Legge

'For any family who lives with a child who is suffering in any way, this book is a reminder of the sheer grit it takes to come out the other side of some of life’s unfair deals. Webster shows courage, tenacity and love, both tender and tough. She is an inspiration.' The Hoopla

'Confronting,insightful and ultimately uplifting... It is a powerful page-turning tale of survival as Amanda Webster bravely and honestly chronicles her son's journey through the hell that is anorexia. But more than just an eating disorder memoir it is a touching and tender tale of a mother's limitless,unconditional love. Beautifully written, it is the ideal book for anyone who has had their life touched by an eating disorder.' Sunshine Coast Daily

'First-time author takes on twin challenges: to write a confessional account of the most difficult time of her life and to educate readers about the complexities of an illness few understand intimately, especially as it applies to boys. She succeeds on both counts...This is an important story delivered with a fantastic eye for detail.' Weekend Australian