The Pill was in Meg Elison's Big Girl collection and later anthologized. It's a real hard hitter, working through our desperation to be thin, to the point of endangering our lives. For Elison, it's a pill that causes you to crap out your excess fat in the space of a few days, killing about 10 percent of those who try it. The protagonist holds out against it and it throws a clear light on fat shaming. It is no secret that we will do dangerous things to be thin--the story reminds me of a subplot in one of Cory Doctorow's early novels, I think it was Down and Out In the Magic Kingdom. Or Makers. In any case, the collection and this story showcase Meg Elison's ability and activism. Definitely worth reading for its clarity of purpose.
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