A Bite of Winter

Hey blogosphere, so sorry I haven't written in a few weeks, been busy. But, down to business; I'm going to be reviewing the book Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson.

Our main character is 18-year-old Lia Marrigan Overbrook. The book begins after Lia's friend, Cassie, who suffers from bulimia, dies in a motel room alone. Lia, who is already living with severe anorexia, is devastated. She constantly convinces herself that she weighs too much, that empty equals strong. She also begins seeing ghosts of Cassie, urging Lia to "cross over" with her, egging her on, etc. She is determined, though, not to enter New Seasons, the emergency care facility with a psych ward.

But her parents and stepmother are growing increasingly concerned. They're fighting even more than usual about what to do with her. Soon it becomes too much for her impaired self to bear, and she goes to stay at the same motel where Cassie died, with a friend she met who works there. When he leaves, she becomes so depressed that she stays in bed at the motel for days, maybe weeks, guzzling sleeping pills and eating nothing. Cassie's ghost visits her one last time, and informs Lia that she's dying. Horrified, she immidiately calls her stepmother, who takes her to stay at New Seasons. There, she finally sets foot to recovery.

This book was written in first person narrative, which really gave the reader some insight as to what she was feeling. A lot of times, when she didn't "want" to think certain thoughts, they would be crossed out in the text and replaced with thoughts that she thought were "better" or "stronger". Most of the time, she crossed out thoughts about wanting food and replaced them with things like, "I am not hungry" or "I am too fat". At other times, though, it's almost as if she's not only starving herself physically, but emotionally as well. For instance, she'll never show her true feelings to anyone, she doesn't trust or get attatched to anybody (even her family), and whenever anyone tries to help her, she refuses. This, I think, is because she's been betrayed, neglected, self-starved, and insulted into thinking she has to be perfectly skinny, strong, and cold all the time.

This was a moving book, and that was enhanced by the author's frequent use of vivid metaphors and sensory language. One thing I appreciated was that while there was figurative language, there were no euphamisms, which really informed the reader about the true struggles of an anorexic. This was effective because this book was also meant to inform readers, and I admire an author who isn't afraid to venture into all sides of the story.

Overall, I'd have to say this was a very good book; Laurie Halse Anderson did a great job. It was very similar to her previous book, Speak, which was a big hit, so if you liked Speak, you'll enjoy Wintergirls.

A Story that Flies

Hey Book-lovers! Today I wanted to discuss Wings by Aprilynne Pike. This is one of the most engrossing and thoroughly captivating books I've ever read. It starts out with Laurel, a fifteen-year-old girl with some odd characteristics (like only eating fruits and vegetables) starting at a new high school after having just moved away from a small town, and meeting David (a boy in her classes), who becomes her friend. Shortly after, she notices a bump growing on her back, turning from coin-sized to baseball-sized. She worries about it the whole time, not knowing what it is, and even more so when it suddenly turns into a flower, a huge blossom growing right out of her back. Confused, she turns to David, who is very scientific and helps her determine that she is more plant than animal. Soon after, she visits her old house, meets Tamani, who tells her that she is, in fact, a faerie (him being one himself.) She discovers that she was given to her human adoptive parents when she was young, to help protect the gateway to Avalon, a faerie world. (the gateway to which was in her old backyard.) He tells her she has to keep the house, but with her father getting terribly sick from a mysterious illness, a suspicious-looking, forceful man trying to buy the house, and her family's financial problems closing in, there's not much she can do. Later, she and david find out what's so suspicious about the man, and why he wants to buy the house so much. I can't tell you any more, though, because you'll have to read the book.

This book was one of the best I've ever read, and I would recommend this book to anyone who likes fast-paced fantasy. Reading it makes you question the thin line between fantasy and reality, because despite her mythological state, she still has to worry about fitting in at school, and deciding between two guys (one of them is a faerie, but still.)