Anderson writes a thought-provoking book that exudes emotion, meaning and education for readers.
Artwork by Mia Nogueira
The book Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson is not a light read. I was not looking for a happy book, and this satisfied that description.
Anderson follows the life of a teenage girl, Lia, battling anorexia and depression. The book begins with the news that Lia’s former best friend, Cassie, has died – seemingly from the eating disorder- but the true cause of her death is not revealed until later in the book. With Lia fresh out of an eating disorder rehab clinic, Cassie’s death is the last thing she, or her family, needs.
The internal and external conflicts Lia struggles with continue to keep the readers invested in the story. She struggles with her parents, the scale, and rumors about how Cassie dies, but internally she struggles with something much more; something that only Cassie could have understood and that nobody else is even aware of.
Before Cassie is laid to rest, Lia sees her ghost. Cassie speaks to her and, while this touches her, it also haunts Lia. Lia begins to blame herself for Cassie’s death and starts eating less and less because of it. Lia’s parents beg her to eat and tell her that her sister, Emma, needs her. They are desperate to know what goes on in Lia’s head. But even Lia can’t quite describe what is going on in her head. This problem is one that so many teenagers struggle to cope with and for which many seek help. Through creative outlets, good friends and many other methods, teenagers can learn to deal with the problems presented to them.
The only character that acts as Lia’s friend is a boy, Elijah, who has had a message for Lia throughout the book that Lia was never ready to hear. Elijah was with Cassie the night that she died and was told to tell Lia a simple message that only she would understand. When she finally tells Elijah she’s ready, she quickly finds out that nothing could have prepared her for that message, and she is pushed to her breaking point and attempts suicide.
Recently, there has been an outpouring of support for the GLBTQ (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning) community in hopes to prevent suicide among the teens who feel they have reached their breaking point, as well. But one group’s suicide rate is not more important than another group’s. We also need to stop being so afraid to talk about depression, eating disorders, and other seemingly “taboo” topics, as well.
Lia now has to resolve the conflict in her head. Does she want to continue “living” the way she is, or does she fight it all and tell her loved ones what goes on inside her brain? Lia is a strong girl who just can’t seem to figure out a proper way to cope with the typical teenage angst in life.
Wintergirls kept me reading in awe and helped me to better understand the deadly disease millions of girls struggle with across the nation. Anderson does a fantastic job of capturing the voice of a teenage girl and using powerful words to keep readers on the edge of their seats. The ideas presented throughout the book not only shocked me, but made me think about and appreciate the life that I have and the food that I consume on a daily basis. Emotion, education and meaning are only a few of the gifts I received from reading Wintergirls.
