Wintergirls

Oh boy...I've been absentee again, haven't I? The good news is: I've finished my reviews for Absolute Forest of Words (check out the blog if you want to see them), I've been spending a lot more time with my lovely fiance as he just started a new job ten minutes away from mine (we carpool and eat lunch together now), and I worked out a major plot point in my WIP. Now if only I could finish the scene...

My goal for this weekend is to get myself in a more writer-friendly environment so that I can produce lots of wordage next week. I've found that I dread closeting myself in my room for hours, since my time with my family is so limited. I'm going to try and work out a system so that I can get writing time AND family time, and maybe not feel so darn guilty.

Anyway, I finished Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson yesterday. Here's the review!

Lia and Cassie are best friends, wintergirls frozen in fragile bodies, competitors in a deadly contest to see who can be the thinnest. But then Cassie suffers the ultimate loss-her life-and Lia is left behind, haunted by her friend's memory and racked with guilt for not being able to help save her. In her most powerfully moving novel since Speak, award-winning author Laurie Halse Anderson explores Lia's struggle, her painful path to recovery, and her desperate attempts to hold on to the most important thing of all-hope.

This is one of those books that leaves you feeling a little hollow when it's over, like all the emotion has been sucked right out of you. It's about eating disorders, and while I've never been a sufferer, I can definitely relate to the self-esteem issues Lia and Cassie had. I struggled with my weight all through high school, after going through a (very) early puberty and being made fun of for my developing body. I didn't want people to laugh, so I retreated into a shell, abandoning sports and clubs and friends for the safety of home and the television. It took college and a major lifestyle change to bring me out of the shell and get rid of 60 pounds of excess weight. I've still got about 20 to go before I reach my goal, but I'm in a much better place now than I ever was in high school.

Anderson's writing style is unique. She has this way of sounding lyrical, yet still somehow capturing the voice of a teenager. It's a skill that I'm insanely jealous of, and hope to someday incorporate into my writing. I was moved to tears many times throughout the course of the novel, not just because of the subject matter, but because the words were so beautiful they took my breath away. It took me all of one day to finish the 278-page novel, simply because I was so captivated by the writing.

I hope that more people will pick up this book and read it. Whether you suffer from an eating disorder yourself, know someone that does, or are just someone who can identify with feelings of self-doubt, it's a truly moving and inspirational read.

J