Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Laurie Halse Anderson, Wintergirls, Penguin Group, New York, 2009, ISBN 978-0-14-241557-3

Plot Summary
After her best friend's death from an eating disorder, eighteen year old Lia is haunted with memories and other demons. She thinks back to the pact that she and Cassie made in the eighth grade about who would be skinniest and to the night that Cassie died and Lia didn't pick up her calls. Cassie continues to battle with her weight hoping to suck all of the marrow from herself until she achieves zero. Like she did with Speak, Halse Anderson triumphs again in getting inside the mind of an angry and sad young woman and unveils what she is really thinking (as opposed to what she says to please her doctors, parents, therapist, and teachers). Reading this novel is a harrowing but worthwhile journey into the world of eating disorders where young women live as "wintergirls" caught somewhere between life and death.


Critical Evaluation
Anderson uses poetic devices as she portrays Lia’s internal life. She relies on repetition to allow readers a window into the self-loathing refrain that constantly circles through Lia’s brain, constantly taunting her and negating her self-worth. To demonstrate the disconnect between what Lia says to those who monitor her (doctors, therapists, parents and stepmother) and what she actually thinks, Anderson makes effective use of the strikethrough to illuminate the filtering process that goes through Lia’s brain--she says what she knows they want to hear, silencing the loathing, biting thoughts that are actually going through her head. The strikethroughs help the reader dive more deeply into Lia’s psyche, helping us to understand that Lia is a. an unreliable narrator who lies to get her way and b. Lia has not yet begun to heal because she still wants her body to disappear. In spite of her best friend’s death from an eating disorder and the sorrow she has caused her own family, Lia lacks perspective and, through most of the novel, remains committed to vanishing. In one section of the novel, Anderson demonstrates Lia’s silence by leaving two entire pages blank, a powerful move at this moment in the text.

Reader’s Annotation
Lia’s best friend recently died from an eating disorder. Does this mean that her friend “won” their competition over who would be skinniest?

Information about the Author
According to the author’s website, “Laurie Halse Anderson was born on October 23, 1961 in Potsdam, a very cold, cold place in Northern New York State. It was (and still is) close to the border of Canada. She was born Laurie Beth Halse. This would be a good place to clear up the matter of the pronunciation of her name, because it is, after all, her name, and she is weary of hearing it mangled by well-meaning people. Halse rhymes with waltz. Not hal-see. No, no, no, no. Halt-z. If she could have anything she wanted, it would be world peace. But if she could have a second thing, it would be having people say her name correctly.

…

Laurie is probably best known for her Young Adult novels. Her debut novel, Speak, was a National Book Award Finalist, a New York Times bestseller, and a Printz Honor book. Even more thrilling, Speak was quickly placed into curriculum at hundreds of middle schools, high schools, and colleges around the country. (The film version of Speak features Twilight star, Kristen Stewart, as Melinda!)

…

Laurie lives in Northern New York, with her childhood sweetheart, now husband, Scot. She has four wonderful children and a neurotic dog, all of whom she dearly loves. When not enjoying her family and her large garden, she spends countless hours writing in a woodland cottage designed and built just for that purpose by her Beloved Husband. She also likes to train for marathons, hike in the mountains, and try to coax tomatoes out of the rocky soil in her backyard.
She is quite sure that she leads a charmed life and is deeply grateful for it.”

Genre
Realistic Fiction/ Problem Novel

Curriculum Unit
Health curriculum--unit on body image and eating disorders

Booktalking Ideas
Explain Lia’s condition from three different perspectives--her mother, Lia, and her step-sister.

Reading Level
Ages 14+

Challenge Issues



This novel may be a tough read for sensitive readers due to the narrator’s self-destructive behaviors. If the book were challenged, I would turn to ALA's Strategies and Tips for Dealing with Challenges to Library  Materials.

Why Included?
I had read Speak years ago and loved it and wanted to read another Laurie Halse-Anderson novel. I watched a short video clip of Halse-Anderson discussing Wintergirls, felt intrigued and checked it out of the library. I think this will be a powerful read for a wide range of readers, but especially those whose lives have been affected by eating disorders or other forms of self-harm.