I’ve been a fan of Laurie Halse Anderson ever since I read Speak in high school.

Wintergirls is about 18 year-old Lia, who is struggling to overcome anorexia. Her best friend Cassie dies in a motel room, alone, after her esophagus erupts.

I’ve never struggled with anorexia (or bulimia), but I have struggled with my weight since middle school, and I knew exactly what Lia was going through. Anderson captures it so well, and I felt like I was experiencing what Lia was going through. This is what I love about Anderson- her books are so realistic that I feel like I know what the characters are going through even though I’ve never experienced it myself.

It was really haunting, and I found myself unable to put it down. I loved the way it was written- text was run together, certain things were italicized, certain things were repeated and the blank pages…it definitely gave a lot of insight into Lia’s mind, and what she was going through. At certain times during the book, I felt like I was Lia.

There were a couple paragraphs I had trouble reading- Lia takes a knife, and cuts herself from her neck to her ribcage. The detail…it was definitely disturbing, but at the same time, I knew exactly how Lia felt.

Are you tired of hearing that? Really, though, that’s how realistic this book is. Yes, it’s slightly creepy, and a little disturbing, but very compelling.

Rating: 5 out of 5! It’s that good, and Wintergirls is definitely up there with Speak.