Wintergirls: Review

Wintergirls
Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Pages: 278

Summary:

“Dead girl walking,” the boys say in the halls.
“Tell us your secret,” the girls whisper, one toilet to another.
I am that girl.
I am the space between my thighs, daylight shining through.
I am the bones they want, wired on a porcelain frame.

Lia and Cassie are best friends, wintergirls frozen in matchstick bodies, competitors in a deadly contest to see who can be the skinniest. But what comes after size zero and size double-zero? When Cassie succumbs to the demons within, Lia feels she is being haunted by her friend’s restless spirit.

In her most emotionally wrenching, lyrically written book since the multiple-award-winning Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson explores Lia’s descent into the powerful vortex of anorexia, and her painful path toward recovery.

My Thoughts:

Best friends Cassie and Lia make a pact to be the skinniest girls in school. They are in competition with each other to be the skinniest. Cassie is bulimic and Lia is anorexic. When Cassie is found dead in a hotel room, Lia feels guilty for not answering her phone when Cassie called. Could she have saved her? Cassie's death doesn't stop Lia, she continues on her destructive path with anorexia while being haunted by her friend's ghost. Will she be able to overcome this disorder or will it kill her like it did Cassie.

I decided to read a little of this book before bed and I didn't stop until it was over. I rarely read books in one sitting but I just couldn't seem to put it down. It was hypnotizing. The author's writing was almost poetic. There has been a lot of debate on the author's style of writing but I actually am one of the people who enjoyed it. The characters and situations seemed so realistic that you really feel like you are in this girl's head. It made me understand a little more what it's like to have these horrible illnesses. This book was disturbing and heartbreaking yet absolutely beautiful. I don't know how else to describe it. I look forward to reading more of Anderson's work.

If you are going through any of the disorders mentioned in this book I BEG you to get help! You don't have to go through this alone. Your life matters and everyone is beautiful, no matter their size! Nobody should ever feel that they are not good enough.

*I checked this book out at the library.

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