by Laurie Halse Anderson
It was just after reading Wasted that I saw another review for Wintergirls, and remembered that it was on my TBR list. Found a copy at the library and immediately dove in. Despite the disturbing and depressing content, it was a book I just could not put down.
It\’s about a teenage girl named Lia struggling with an eating disorder. Her best friend suffers from bulimia and at the beginning of the book has just died from the disease (the two girls had engaged in a private competition to see who could loose the most weight, which got frighteningly out of control). Lia has to deal with grief and guilt at feeling partly responsible for her friend\’s death, which only push her further into destructive behavior. It\’s pretty horrible to read about. But it doesn\’t go into as much depth as Wasted did, which carefully examined all the environmental and emotional factors that led to her disorder. In this case, the book focuses more on the present struggle and the emotional upheaval that Lia is experiencing. The writing is lyrical and full of imagery that reflects the main character\’s skewed thinking very vividly. In spite of how well I could picture what she felt, it was hard to feel close to her as a character. She felt… empty in a way (which makes sense). I find I liked Speak better. This book gives me the shivers.
Rating: 3/5 …….. 278 pages, 2009
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Caught Between the Pages