Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

[description from goodreads]

“Dead girl walking,” the boys say in the halls.
“Tell us your secret,” the girls whisper, one toilet to another.
I am that girl.
I am the space between my thighs, daylight shining through.
I am the bones they want, wired on a porcelain frame.

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.

Review:

Unlike most people would, I didn't have super high expectations for this one. I've never been a huge LHA fan. I liked Speak (liked, not loved, unlike most people) and Twisted, but I wasn't amazed by them or anything. (Don't hurt me, anyone. -hides-) But I am happy to report that I really liked this one rather than just liking it, and now I'm in search of more LHA books. (I want to read Chains, but sadly it is a hardcover. Boooooo hardcovers.)

This definitely is a character-driven book. Not very much happens in terms of actual events, which you think would be a bad thing, but it's not. Just reading about Lia trying to overcome all her problems is enough to make the book thoroughly engrossing. Even though I didn't exactly love the previous LHA books I've read, I have to admit that she is a master at developing characters. Especially characters that can keep you reading.

I think my favorite part of this book though was the writing. It matched Lia's moods perfectly. At times it sounded sad, sometimes it sounded a little crazy, and sometimes it sounded...suffocating. (Did that previous sentence make sense?) And at times words were crossed out, which gave even more insight to Lia's feelings and opinions. The writing perfectly underscored not only Lia's emotions, but also some of the emotions of the people around her.

Underscoring emotion? I think I've spent a little too much time in English class lately.

Anyway. Overall, Wintergirls a frighteningly realistic portrayal of a girl's inner battle.

Wow, that sounded professional. Weird.

8.5/10

Wintergirls will be released March 19. (Thanks for the ARC, J!)