Wintergirls

Novel: Wintergirls
Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Genre: Young Adult (Y.A.) Literature
Other works by Halse Anderson: Twisted, Prom, Catalyst, Speak, Forge, Chains, Fever 1793
Please go to Laurie Halse Anderson's website for a complete list of works.

I've ready most of Halse Anderson's novels, so picking up Wintergirls seemed like a no-brainer.

“'Dead girl walking,'” the boys say in the halls.
'Tell us your secrets,' 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, a seventeen year old struggling with her own weight-obsessed, food addicted mind, is the main character of Halse Anderson's most recent novel. The first page of Wintergirls announces the death of Lia's bulimic ex-best friend, Cassie. The cause of her death is withheld for nearly half the novel, giving it an essence of mystery. Several times a day Lia is visited by the cruel and taunting ghost of Cassie. While she struggles with these frequent and brief appearances from Cassie, she also struggles with the concept of her death. A few days after the discovery of Cassie's body at a motel, Lia is contacted by an employee, Elijah, with information regarding the final moments of her childhood friend's life. Elijah and Lia form a strange relationship, the foundation of which is Cassie's death. Throughout the novel, the reader is one-hundred percent aware of Lia's inner thoughts, feelings, and struggles. This novel is an accurate and beautifully written portrayal of addiction, regardless of how uncomfortable the topic may be. Halse Anderson's book concludes in an unexpected manor, with Lia and Cassie having one final conversation about the loveliness of being alive. Does Lia ever manage to recover from the death grip her anorexia has on her? Or  is seventy-five pounds still too heavy? 

Wintergirls would be ideal for an after-school reading group for teen girls. The topic of negative body image runs rampant in our culture. Eating disorders and food addiction are not uncommon in today's society. Turn on MTV and you'll most likely catch the latest rerun of "True Life: I Have an Eating Disorder" then scan a few channels up to catch the latest episode of "American's Next Top Model". Janice Dickson will most likely be lecturing a size 00 model on her love handles and double chin.
Laurie Halse Anderson's novel has such a powerful message. When reading this book I was focused more on the message she was presenting than I was on the plot development of the actual story.