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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
This was such a difficult read. Rewarding, yes, but difficult. Triggering. So brutally honest and unflinching. Rose and Lily Winters are one of the most interesting pairs of twins I’ve ever encountered in literature, brought to life lovingly and expertly by Clarke. The way they could taste each other’s emotions but also be so clueless of each other’s situations... brilliant and heartbreaking. And Rose’s relationship with Jemima was such a bright spot, complicated as it was, in an otherwise dark book. There are so many images and lines and moments that will stick with me for a long time, just like the urge to end stigma against mental illness will stick with me for the rest of my life. A stunning saga of recovery and of ultimately finding a safe space both in yourself and in the one you love. Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the galley.
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Liked the experimental writing of the sister's novel more than the writing of the actual novel. Though with that said I still found the story captivating. It was a hard read with the domestic violence, rape and eating disorder mentions, but worth it for me.
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was hesitant to read a book about Anorexia since I experience disordered eating. This book really made me view the disorder in a different light and I feel in love with main character and could follow her journey forever. Can’t really explain in words how much I related to her being.
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book took me way too long to read - which I think has given me the impression that it's too long. In reflecting on it, I don't think that's the truth, just my skewed perception.
This book reminded me forcefully of The Lightness - in it's portrayal of treatment centers, the young girls who are at those centers, the bonds and friendships that are formed, the lack of parental authority in any form. But with twins, instead of one girl. It also had short paragraph breaks that incorporated random trivia, as The Lightness did, though it did not strike me as effective here as it did there. Thin Girls is at least queer, where The Lightness is at best queer bait.
There were some lines and ideas that hit really well, and others that missed for me entirely. Part of the girls' stories seemed added only to add to their uncanny, their allure, but at the point the allure had already been well established. The see-sawing between the twins, their problems, their relationships, was well-done, and one misdirection in the text was expertly executed, which made for a nice surprise.
In the end - I don't know that this is one I'd recommend, except to someone thinking of reading The Lightness. Read this one instead.
This book reminded me forcefully of The Lightness - in it's portrayal of treatment centers, the young girls who are at those centers, the bonds and friendships that are formed, the lack of parental authority in any form. But with twins, instead of one girl. It also had short paragraph breaks that incorporated random trivia, as The Lightness did, though it did not strike me as effective here as it did there. Thin Girls is at least queer, where The Lightness is at best queer bait.
There were some lines and ideas that hit really well, and others that missed for me entirely. Part of the girls' stories seemed added only to add to their uncanny, their allure, but at the point the allure had already been well established. The see-sawing between the twins, their problems, their relationships, was well-done, and one misdirection in the text was expertly executed, which made for a nice surprise.
In the end - I don't know that this is one I'd recommend, except to someone thinking of reading The Lightness. Read this one instead.
Wow, what a raw, heartbreaking novel. The premise of this book, revolving around eating disorders, sexuality, and abuse, is clearly a heavy subject that the author manages to portray incredibly well. But what has left me speechless is Clarke’s incredible writing style - beautiful, realistic, and brutal - she brings such emotion to this story and I am truly in awe.
Please be cautious of content warnings before picking up this book.
Please be cautious of content warnings before picking up this book.
I liked how this book challenged stereotypes of anorexia like having the main character be queer and older whilst in treatment and showing men in treatment but some stereotypes still remained the same: the main character being white, young when ED developed and probably upper middle class. I also liked how the book didn't do the whole "character is cured at the end." But I did feel that it was lacking something. I can relate to the main character on multiple levels.
The writing was okay and I did like the tidbits of stats on the animals and women who have ED. There were parts where characters addressed certain issues about EDs and other stuff that I felt was done well. I did not like the main character I felt like she was one dimensional what, I don't know a single thing about her. I don't feel close to her at all. What are her hobbies? Her favorite color? Also the twin thing seems so cliche and weird. The whole tasting each other's emotions was strange. I guess I don't know how to review this book. I just didn't enjoy it sadly.
For anyone who is going to write about EDs, please Please for the love of God write something we haven't seen before. Like a 34 year old man who is sightly overweight and has EDNOS for ten years, or college aged black or brown character who has binge eating disorder and has been undiagnosed for years....something, Anything different.
The writing was okay and I did like the tidbits of stats on the animals and women who have ED. There were parts where characters addressed certain issues about EDs and other stuff that I felt was done well. I did not like the main character I felt like she was one dimensional what, I don't know a single thing about her. I don't feel close to her at all. What are her hobbies? Her favorite color? Also the twin thing seems so cliche and weird. The whole tasting each other's emotions was strange. I guess I don't know how to review this book. I just didn't enjoy it sadly.
For anyone who is going to write about EDs, please Please for the love of God write something we haven't seen before. Like a 34 year old man who is sightly overweight and has EDNOS for ten years, or college aged black or brown character who has binge eating disorder and has been undiagnosed for years....something, Anything different.
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I don’t know how to rate this book. I feel bad rating it so low, but it’s my personal opinion of the book. The twin thing is weird, the “tasting each other’s feelings” thing was just too absurd for me. It was like badly done magical realism. The trauma of their family relationships wasn’t... I don’t know, it just didn’t feel real to me. The girls’ mother literally abandoned them and their father acted more like their friend than a parent and that trauma and social isolation felt... glossed over and too much at the same time? Lily’s character really didn’t make sense to me. I wish we’d gotten to see more of her perspective than the book within the book. I feel like the author was really beating us over the head with the whole “diet culture is bad!” She tried to fit too much into too short a book and it didn’t feel authentic to me.