Did this lead to a new understanding of your life?

In the novel The Edible Woman, certain parts that made me uncomfortable, could lead me to a new understanding or awareness of some aspect of my life I might not have thought about before. The part about Marian not eating and having a lack of self confidence, makes me realize that everybody goes through rough patches in their life, but they are always possible to overcome. I never thought about not being able to eat anything if I am unhappy or depressed, but now that I have read this novel I realize that it is a bad thing to do. It also led me to a new understanding of marriage, that marriage is not always easy and having children completely changes your life. For the most part it works out like Clara and Joe's marriage in this novel, but sometimes it does not, like Marian and Peter's. Also I have come to realize that some people would do anything to get what they want, such as Ainsley. I never thought that somebody would lie about their age and actions to a person, and not think about the consequences. Having a baby is a major event, and to manipulate somebody into that is completely unfair and careless.