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Friday, May 29, 2009

Book Review: Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

“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.


What i thought: Right from the moment i started this book, i knew it was going to be an uncomfortable journey, following Lia through her troublesome anorexia--and, believe me, i was right! This story is about a very difficult topic, and traveling through these pages scared me thoroughly--the whole idea bothered me very much, and i truly was horrified by some of Lia's thoughts as well as many of her choices and the needs she carelessly ignored--and crossed out.

Despite this, i found Wintergirls to be an amazing and thoroughly touching story about a girl struggling with a very common issue among teenage girls. The plot was extremely realistic--despite the fact there were ghosts--and most of the characters had traits that made me grow to care about them. And, having a little sister myself, i very much enjoyed reading about Lia's emotions regarding her sister Emma, and how she believed her anorexia was disturbing--and worrying--her. While i did not really feel much of a connection with said sister, i found myself fretting right along with Lia's stepmother about how much the anorexia was scaring Emma, and what a large affect it was having.

I enjoyed Anderson's unique writing style, and found the way she described Lia's emotions interesting. I really liked how she crossed out Lia's needs, and let the disorder speak. It really gave a clearer personality, and let you see just how terrifying it could be.

The ending seemed very rushed, as if Anderson couldn't finish it soon enough. So, while it did close the story fairly well, it seemed as if Anderson wanted it to be done and over-with, and ran out of ideas. It wasn't very concluding--but every fantastic novel has it's fair share of flaws.

Told in an eerily haunting voice, Wintergirls is an unforgettable novel about a young girl's painful journey to finding herself and a way back home from the dangerous depths of anorexia. An amazing novel!


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4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I LOVED this novel! Great review!

simply nerdy book reviews said...

thank you to my ONE COMMENTER!!!!!!!! i am seriously hurt right now.

Anonymous said...

I love this book, it was so freaky and terrifying but it made me want to keep reading even more. It's a very good book and Anderson isn't afraid to say or show the horrors of anorexia.

Best Reviews for Westport Fishing Captain Don Davenport said...

If you have never read a Laurie Halse Anderson book then you must! It's just that simple...go find any of them....they're all great, but don't let another day go by without experiencing this truly gifted author.

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