This is one I read a while ago, but it's stuck with me because it probably offers the most realistic portrayal of the thought processes of anorexia I've ever read. It's also gorgeously written with descriptions you just want to go back to and steal.
It's also a book about friendship and what happens to a friendship when it becomes competitive. Competitive in an unhealthy and dangerous way that ends in tragedy. How do you come back from that? Does the tragedy kick you in the pants to stop being self-destructive, or does it push you further into the pit?
Lia's journey shows her choice and the difficulty she has staying on the path. Her thoughts are often painful, but they're honest and raw.
I've read a lot of books dealing with eating disorders, both fiction and non-fiction, and this has to be among the best I've read.
If you don't believe me, here's the blurb:
“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.
Laurie Halse Anderson explores Lia’s descent into the powerful vortex of anorexia, and her painful path toward recovery.
The friendship part happens in reality, it becomes competitive and difficult to handle. I assume this is a fine read, thanks for the review.
ReplyDeleteLaurie Halse Anderson is an excellent writer of difficult topics. Her books should be required reading.
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