in a sentence or so: Lia and Cassie are friends. were friends, back in the day. back in the day where they obsessed about weight, being the thinnest, most beautiful, most dedicated. Cassie is found dead, alone, in a hotel room and Lia's world falls apart...if it was ever really together.
Lia's anorexic. Cassie is/was bulimic. they drifted apart over the years, mainly because Cassie's parents thought Lia was a bad influence. you can't blame them really, she was. what they didn't know was Cassie was suffering with or without Lia. they try to make sense of her death while Lia tries to get on with her life...which isn't easy considering Cassie's ghost is haunting her. encouraging her to keep getting thinner. fight harder. work longer to join her forever.
there is some mystery in here - how Cassie died, what Lia did/didn't have to do with it. mostly this is an in depth examination of eating disorders. the writing is raw, intense, emotional, vivid, and haunting. we get the first person perspective of Lia's struggle, and are with her every step of the way - forward or backward.
the family dynamics were loosely established, but enough so for us to get an idea of Lia's life inside and outside her head.
ultimately, this showcased Halse Anderson's lyrically intense and emotionally charged writing and an expose of eating disorders. i felt like the plot - while solid and mostly interesting - was merely a background to the character study. all in all, i recommend this as an excellent ya read, from an amazing writer.
fave quote: "The pills I took an hour ago bang through my veins like metal trash cans blowing down the street. The snakes in my head wake up, slither down my brain stem, and snap at the dozing vultures. The birds flap their nightwings once, twice, three times, and circle high in the air. Their shadows blot out the sun." (181, Nook version)
fix er up: i would have liked a bit more plot/mystery/development with minor characters from time to time.
title: Wintergirls
author: Laurie Halse Anderson
genre: Death, Edgy
this does not sound like a book for me, but hooray for a new post!
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