tiny pink books

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
Viking Juvenile, 2009

Laurie Halse Anderson is back with another elevation of “the problem novel.” Wintergirls tackles the tumultuous inner dialogue of Lia, 18, as she deals with the death of her former best friend.  Fighting a wealth of problems from anorexia to cutting, Lia’s struggle is dark and gripping.  Although the subject matter makes for a brutal read, readers will find Lia’s story hard to put down.  Anderson’s layering of realism, delusional fantasy and biting sarcasm make this a powerful and chilling read for teens seeking dark, realistic drama with a literary tone.

Despite the dark subject matter (and treatment), I can’t say that I had trouble reading Wintergirls.  The most difficult aspect of the book was Lia’s constant negativity.  That said, I think that Anderson has captured the frustrating devastation that is anorexia.  While I can’t say that I really enjoyed reading Wintergirls, I do think that it’s a relevant and interesting book along the same lines as Speak. I’m not sure that this book will really connect to teens suffering from the same disorders that it tackles (I’m cynical, if you couldn’t tell), but I do think that it will help make others more aware and understanding of the disorders.

Recommended for fans of Speak and Crank. Readers seeking dark, realistic drama with a literary tone will enjoy Wintergirls. I doubt that I need to say it, but reader seeking fluff or action should turn elsewhere!

Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson
Viking Books, 2007

Twisted, a young adult novel by Laurie Halse Anderson (Speak) is the dramatic story of a outcast teenager, Tyler. He got caught vandalizing the school in an attempted prank the previous year and was put on probation and a manditory summer of hard labor community service. as a result, he’s gone from skinny and unknown gaming geek to mysterious super buff loner. Despite his new social status, Tyler is still very much an outcast, though he’s now an outcast that everyone notices. His home life leaves much to be desired with his emotionally cruel father and his alcoholic, can’t-cope-with-it-anymore mom. His younger sister is dating his longtime best friend, leaving Tyler quite alone. The plot meanders in circles for the first third of the book and then suddenly explodes in what is surely supposed to be a realisticly shocking teen problem, but feels very afterschool special. Tyler gets a date with dream girl Bethany and ends up at the local high school party where a vile crime takes place. Tyler, due to his delinquent status from the previous year’s attempted prank, is the number one suspect. Ostracized and treated like a vile criminal by his peers, his school administration, and even his family, Tyler become more and more isolated and depressed as he struggles to make it through this dark period.
Much like Speak, Twisted is the voice of the depressed and isolated high school character. What Twisted lacks, however, is an authentic feeling voice. Perhaps I am just too cynical, but I found the whole treatment to be a little too didactic to really succeed. That said, I did feel motivated to read on through the end of the plot. There’s a dark humor and snarky voice to Twisted that at times works, but felt mostly forced to me.
I would still recommend this one to teen readers who are seeking this sort of dark voice or a problem novel. I think that youngers teens will find this more appealing, as I think that anyone over 15 might have the same reation that I did.