Wintergirls
This book had a somewhat morbid feel to it.
It is the story of Lia, a quiet girl with an eating disorder. Her best friend Cassie, dies as the story begins.
Best friends since they were little, Cassie and Lia have a relationship that seems to be destructive to the other’s lives, both encouraging each others sickness. I don’t know for sure because the book doesn’t focus on the ins and outs of their friendship, but it is clear that they were the only ones that understood each other. With parents that don’t understand, no one to turn to, and messed up relationships with everyone, Lia took a big hit losing her best friend . . . even if they hadn’t talked for months.
After in-patient care “fattening them up” as Lia puts it, Cassie’s parents made her stay away from Lia, and Cassie obeyed. Both of the girls have an eating disorder, but different. Cassie is bulimic, and Lia is great at starving herself. I mean great. The true definition of an anorexic. She looks at food in calories, and feels she doesn’t deserve it. Cassies death ‘triggers’ Lias problem, although I am not sure whether she ever fixed it to begin with. She punishes herself by eating hot sauce with food, and working out at night while everyone is sleeping. Her parents weigh her to make sure she is eating, so she sews quarters into the pockets of her robe to trick the scales.
You have got to read this book.
The dialogue is a little weird, you get used to it - no biggie. At first, I was thinking (as any girl who enjoys being skinny) WOW! I wish I had the strength of this girl… I wish I could be anorexic! Lol. But as the story progresses, it becomes sickening. It becomes sad, disturbing, dark, and gruesome. You start to see the true sickness as it is… ugly.
The biological affects anorexia has, as well as the mental illness that it creates all make for a haunting book that is really hard to put down.
So much more to this story than I can say.
Wondering how Cassie died? Did I mention Lia is also a cutter? What happens if once, you cut too deep? Wondering how Lia ends up at 89lbs?
Sort of empowering, sort of sad, sort of gross = Wintergirls
You gotta read it.
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