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Thin Girls
by Diana Clarke
What is a "thin girl?" A thin girl shrinks herself to nothingness. A thin girl deprives herself of the most basic human needs. A thin girl does not feel whole until she ceases to exist. A thin girl is veritably explored in Diana Clarke's debut novel, Thin Girls. Thin Girls, a literary masterpiece, follows anorexic Rose and her relationship with food, as well as her relationship with her twin sister Lily through their teenage years into young adulthood. This exploitative and harrowing novel takes readers into the devastating depths of disordered eating, and tells the story of twins and how far they will go to save each other.
Lily and Rose are identical ... exactly the same. Except for the mole on Lily's back, there is nary a difference between them, even down to their weight. Exactly the same. The twins are so close, their sameness so entwined in who they are, that they can't even imagine being different. But after a series of defining events starting in high school, Rose's body begins dramatically wilting away while Lily's blossoms and balloons. One twin is now severely underweight, the other over. Fast forward several years, and Rose finds herself in a treatment facility, while Lily begins a relationship with a questionable, married man. With both sisters teetering on the edge of destruction, can they help themselves, and in turn, save each other?
Compelling, haunting, and intense, Diana Clarke's Thin Girls tells a raw, believable story about the all-consuming power of eating disorders. It is no secret that many women are raised to have an unhealthy relationship with food; hating themselves for every "guilty" bite they put into their bodies, and never feeling like they are good enough in their own skin. Clarke's Thin Girls takes this relationship to the extreme, showing how anorexia takes over one young woman's life and strips it to bare nothingness. Clarke writes as if she herself has lived with disordered eating, or else she has studied it closely, making this novel feel true-to-life and all the more excruciating. With that being said, those who have suffered from an eating disorder or an unhealthy relationship with food may find themselves uncomfortable or triggered by the contents of this explicitly descriptive book, and should be advised that this read may not be for everyone.
Interwoven in this story of anorexia is Rose's equally unhealthy relationship with her sister Lily. Although Rose loves Lily more than any person on this Earth, their relationship has always been perilous, dramatic, and extreme. Clarke explores their sisterly bond and shows how the interconnectedness of twins is a most unusual, yet fascinating thing. Rose and Lily can no more separate themselves from each other, than they can live without food or air. Their relationship is intricate and entangled, and adds an interesting, important aspect to this utterly gripping novel.
Thin Girls will be enjoyed by readers of dark, edgy exposés. If you like your fiction raw and your characters deep, melancholic, and slightly dangerous, check this one out.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Lily and Rose are identical ... exactly the same. Except for the mole on Lily's back, there is nary a difference between them, even down to their weight. Exactly the same. The twins are so close, their sameness so entwined in who they are, that they can't even imagine being different. But after a series of defining events starting in high school, Rose's body begins dramatically wilting away while Lily's blossoms and balloons. One twin is now severely underweight, the other over. Fast forward several years, and Rose finds herself in a treatment facility, while Lily begins a relationship with a questionable, married man. With both sisters teetering on the edge of destruction, can they help themselves, and in turn, save each other?
Compelling, haunting, and intense, Diana Clarke's Thin Girls tells a raw, believable story about the all-consuming power of eating disorders. It is no secret that many women are raised to have an unhealthy relationship with food; hating themselves for every "guilty" bite they put into their bodies, and never feeling like they are good enough in their own skin. Clarke's Thin Girls takes this relationship to the extreme, showing how anorexia takes over one young woman's life and strips it to bare nothingness. Clarke writes as if she herself has lived with disordered eating, or else she has studied it closely, making this novel feel true-to-life and all the more excruciating. With that being said, those who have suffered from an eating disorder or an unhealthy relationship with food may find themselves uncomfortable or triggered by the contents of this explicitly descriptive book, and should be advised that this read may not be for everyone.
Interwoven in this story of anorexia is Rose's equally unhealthy relationship with her sister Lily. Although Rose loves Lily more than any person on this Earth, their relationship has always been perilous, dramatic, and extreme. Clarke explores their sisterly bond and shows how the interconnectedness of twins is a most unusual, yet fascinating thing. Rose and Lily can no more separate themselves from each other, than they can live without food or air. Their relationship is intricate and entangled, and adds an interesting, important aspect to this utterly gripping novel.
Thin Girls will be enjoyed by readers of dark, edgy exposés. If you like your fiction raw and your characters deep, melancholic, and slightly dangerous, check this one out.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.