Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

“Wintergirls” in a dark novel, full with the inner struggles of teenagers. Lia, who suffers from anorexia nervosa, lost her former best friend, Cassie, to bulimia. They made an oath sealed in blood that they would be the skinniest girls in the school. The book follows Lia and her battle within. It brings light to those who do not understand the fight those with eating disorders are going through.

However, I cannot say the book was amazing. It did not bring tears to my eyes as I had thought a novel of such topic would. I must stress, Laurie Halse Anderson uses far too many metaphors and her writing isn’t stunning enough to accompany it. Plus, the metaphors were not always the most brilliant. It was slightly confusing at points. It felt as if Anderson had taken out lines in the beginning of the chapter and had not bothered to fix the rest. She did not fully explain Lia’s feelings. Lastly, the book finished with some loose ends.

Still, I would recommended it to others. The book wasn’t amazing, though it was good none the less. To those who know one with an eating disorder, the book might help one understand what they are going through. For those with or recovering from eating disorders, it may provide comfort. And for those looking for a darker novel, Wintergirls is satisfying.

In the end, I rate Wintergirls a three star out of five.