Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Partial book summary from the bookjacket of 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.

As usual I am late coming to this book. Many reviews have already weighed in on the pros and cons of Wintergirls including the New York Times. Therefore, I have decided not to attempt another. Instead, I am merely going to write about my reactions to the story and to Anderson’s writing.

First, I found Wintergirls a dark disturbing journey into the world of one teenager’s eating disorder. As I read the book, I could not help but think, this is not a story I would ever feel comfortable recommending to my female students. Lia’s story is too honest, and implicit in its emotionality. I kept asking myself, do I want girls who have eating disorders, who cut themselves, whose self-esteem is measured by how skinny they are (which unfortunately describes a lot of girls in middle and high school), reading about Lia’s struggles? The answer was definitely no!

At the same time, I loved Anderson’s prose and style. Her prose has a poetic rhythm that mesmerizes. I was captivated by Lia’s voice and kept reading hoping that her spiral into the darkness of her disease would stop. One stylistic technique Anderson used to illustrate Lia’s thoughts, were strikeouts. I found this technique very effective in showing the little voice inside Lia’s head. I know that voice. I have one inside my head that contradicts or chastises me for the things I say and do, and while the strikeouts were far from excessive, they helped highlight Lia’s internal struggles in a way that I could related to. This is one of Anderson’s powers, telling stories that are worth reading, creating characters that are real and bringing issues to light that other writers won’t touch. Wintergirls tore at my heart. I wanted nothing more than to shake her, her mother, her father and her stepmother, because I hated being a part of her sickness and I wanted them to help her. I was involved, but like the adults around Lia, I realized that Lia had to want to be helped. So, while I will not be placing this book on my classroom shelf, I do think that it is worthy of praise and a great read for a mature audience.