"The Fat Girl" was published in 1977 as part of Dubus's short story collection Adultery, and Other Choices. It has become one of Dubus's bestknown works.

Throughout Dubus's career, critics have praised his writing for his sensitive treatment of topical issues, such as abortion, infidelity, drugs, racism, and eating disorders. In fact, his stories have included characters like single mothers, divorced husbands, and abused wives.

Many of Dubus's stories focus on the turbulence of male-female relationships. Edith Milton, writing for the New Republic, viewed Adultery, and Other Choices as an exploration of the relationships between men and women. "I can think of no one," she writes, "who has drawn a more precise map of that no-man's land between the sexes than he has in this collection."

Other reviewers lauded the collection for its deft portrayals of the individual's search for identi ty. For example, J. N. Baker...