Given the lack of warmth outdoors, I thought that Laurie Halse Anderson's newest title Wintergirls would be a fitting title for this week's Book of the Week. The chill of this novel carries through the title and into the rest of the text. It is a biting sort of cold; one where it becomes hard to get any sense of warmth. This is not to say that I didn't like the book. I absolutely adored it. However, the main character is so far into her eating disorder that she's disconnected from family, friends, and is hard to want to wrap your arms around. If you did, frostbite might ensue.
Lia is in the grips of a serious eating disorder when her ex-best friend Cassie dies. Lia tries to sleuth out the details of this mysterious death, but has a hard time getting past her own struggles with anorexia to do so. She's more than obsessed with her food intake--controlling every bite of food that goes into her mouth has taken over her entire existence. She takes advantage of the fact that her parents are distracted with their own issues. Given this diversion, the scale continues to drop lower and lower every week. But, when she finally goes too far, will her body survive the abuse that she's given it?
I was riveted by this story. I cannot say that I understood everything that this character was experiencing, but the story was so well crafted that I could not put it down. I think that it's more of a read for girls, but I could see where the information contained in this novel could be important for male students as well. If you liked Melinda from Speak, you will probably like Lia from Wintergirls. They remind me of each other in some ways.
If you'd like to check this book out, please look for it at the back of the room on the free reading shelves.
