anthonyciccone

I love this book. It is beautiful, and original and I really connected with the character through Anderson's unique writing style. It is about Lia's struggle with her eating disorder and her guilt after her best friend dies, but it is so much more than that. It is about pressure; - from peers, society and family - it's about identity and what you do when you know the thing that you most associate with yourself is killing you and hurting those you love. It's about the duel swords of pain and love and made me cry at the most unexpected times, even when I reread it for the third time. Some of my favourite parts involved Lisa interacting with her little almost-sister Emma, and with her mom because it perfectly describes how complicated family can be but at the same time how it's a basic instinct to want to love and protect them. I have never experienced an eating disorder but I have experienced pressure, confusion, pain, and loss, and I related to this book on an intensely emotional level. Even besides that, the language is amazing and it inspired me to experiment with my own writing style. I keep this book on my shelf but take it down constantly to reread my favourite passages over and over again.

2023-01-07 21:53