Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Skinny by Ibi Kaslik

Do you ever get hungry? Too hungry to eat?
Holly’s older sister, Giselle, is self-destructing. Haunted by her love-deprived relationship with her late father, this once strong role model and medical student, is gripped by anorexia. Holly, a track star, struggles to keep her own life in balance while coping with the mental and physical deterioration of her beloved sister. Together, they can feel themselves slipping and are holding on for dear life.
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This book is one of my favorites, and I read it almost a year ago. That may not seem like much, but for me, that's huge that a book would stay on my favorites shelf for so long. So, Giselle is an anorexic/bulimic on the path of destruction. Her voice was powerful and moving, and I was feeling every single sensation she went through. It was hard to understand where she was at, since her voice reflected the conflict in her mind, but the flashbacks to her past with an unloving father made perfect sense when you looked at the big picture. I did have to go back and re-read some parts to follow it correctly, but it was still great. Holly, Giselle's fourteen-year-old,  schizophrenic little sister, while not the most relatable character, was written realistically and emotionally. The downward spiral that sucks both sisters down was as painful as it was beautiful. The dark overtones were overlapped with darker undertones, and overall, this story was amazing. The ending was a bit far-fetched, (without giving too much away, I'll just say that hospital security is definitely better than that) but I loved the terrifying ending. One of my favorite aspects of the novel was Solomon's character, Giselle's boyfriend, who harbors feelings for Holly which aren't unrequited. Even the ending of that plot line was written fantastically, though tragically. The alternate personality Giselle touches on made the story more gritty and personal.
4.5 stars, and a recommendation to fans of Ellen Hopkins and other realistic teen authors who write about the difficult subjects.

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