Wintergirls: A Review

I have never read anything by Laurie Halse Anderson.  I really couldn't believe it when I thought about that.  She is definitely one of the premiere YA authors writing today.  Anderson tends to write intense characters.  In Speak the protagonist is the class outcast.   In Catalyst, she looked into the world of the type-A adolescent.  For Wintergirls, the issue is eating disorders.

Lia and Cassie are wintergirls.  They made a pact to be the skinniest girls in school.  Cassie dies trying and is now haunting Lia as she continues in her "bad habits." In Wintergirls, you get a close look in to the mind of a girl suffering with anorexia who doesn't want to change.  She wants to weight nothing. She won't tell anyone anything she is thinking.

As I was reading I was struck at how true the character sounded; this book is masterfully written.  I know Anderson did her research.  As you read, you like Lia, but you want her to stop punishing herself and just eat.  She is just so tortured.  I loved reading the crossed -out lines of what she was really thinking.  We all lie to ourselves and this was a great way of getting that message across.

I look forward to reading more books by this author.

5/5 Stars