A review by nabaraditi
Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow

emotional tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

TW: self-harm, attempted suicide, substance abuse, alcohol use, sexual assault
Synopsis: It's about a 17 year old girl who has lost people in the past and in the present and chooses to self-harm and has attempted suicide. It's also about grief from the closest person kills themselves. So, the book starts off with her life in a psychiatric hospital and then it moves to how she manuveurs her life in the outside world with a meagre job to pay rent and utilities, make friends, and learning everyday to not give in to her old habits.

Being a psychology student, I could not stop seeing it from a MHP lens. I could see why she kept a tender kit, why she was attracted and tried to help Riley, how art soothe her difficult emotions, how her beliefs broke her internally more and more, how one traumatic event may lead to multiple traumatic events. 
I'm not sure how to write a review for this book. This book read like some hollywood movie yet it felt surreal in some parts. And due to this, I didn't enjoy this book as much as I expected to. I enjoyed the part one more than when she gets out of the hospital. As the book is written as a story which doesn't explain why a person in pain would go back to their maladaptive behaviours, I cannot recommend this book for awareness. It's difficult to understand why Riley is the way he is and why Charlie and Julie his sister help him (in their own way). Nevertheless, if you choose to read this book, be aware of the trigger warnings and if you're in a good headspace. The book also provides a complete list of resources and helplines at the back. 
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