I had been anticipating the arrival of Laurie Halse Anderson's new book, Wintergirls, as I had read and liked Speak, Prom and Twisted, also noting that she had won the 2009 Edwards Award for significant and lasting contributions to young adult readers. I am also from Upstate New York where she lives and have been a fan for years.I had a hard time reading this book- not because of writing, but the content. Wintergirls is the story of two young girls, Lia & Cassie, who make a pact while in middle school. Since they can't be the most popular, prettiest, smartest, they agree to be the skiniest.
Throughout the story Lia speaks in two tongues. Anderson uses a very effective literary tool of crossing out the text of what Lia really thinks and does, and then prints what Lia is expected to say and do- communicating the push-and-pull within Lia and helping the reader to better understand the thinking behind Lia's and other's disturbed minds.
You learn early on that Cassie has died and she begins to haunt Lia to join her. Lia counts calories obcessively, excercizes to exorcise Cassie, she binges and purges and cuts herself to escape... to sleep... to feel... Will Lia succumb? Is she stong enough to save herself as her weight plummets below 90 lbs.?
An important read for anyone who has, or knows someone who has, an eating disorder, or people just trying to understand how anyone could punish themsleves so.
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