Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

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.

This was an interesting take on eating disorders. There was a magical, fairy-tale element to the store and the writing that gave it the right amount of poignancy to be effective, even if once in a while the poetic language got a bit out of hand. 

Lia has anorexia and her best friend has just died. There is nothing light about this novel. It deals with very real issues that teens face. What struck me most was the accuracy of Lia’s voice when it came to her eating disorder. As someone who has had anorexia, I wasn’t expecting something as real as what this book shows. It felt like I was back in my own head all those years ago when I was struggling with eating even a piece of gum. It made for a fascinating, if heartrending read. 

The writing could have used some trimming every once in a while. Some images were lovely, while others bogged the storyline down. I think the noel would have been even better if it had tamed some of those strange, melodramatic phrases down. 

This is a novel I recommend for all YA readers. It is a very truthful look at one of the most insidious diseases in this world. 

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