I found Wintergirls to be both captivating and difficult to read.  Looking back to my high school days, the topic of anorexia and self-harm seems all too familiar. Having a once good friend who became anorexic over time, this book hit a lot of notes that I felt resembled the situation I had been a part of.

This book, more than anything -I feel, deals with guilt and control as main drives for its story.  The aspect of guilt is obvious as Lia must deal with the loss of her friend, especially if the possibility of Lia saving her at one time existed. But, control... that's where the reality lays. My friend from high school had the same issue. Parents divorced, everyone telling her she was unhealthy, everyone telling her what she should do, how she should study, etc.  I think being able to control her weight was a way to break that cycle of control.  It was a way for her to still be in charge of something in her life. Unfortunately, anorexia is just as much a mental illness as it is a physical (or so my understanding).  It is a helpless way of seeking some kind of resolution, some kind of way out of the bullshit that is life as a young adult.  Lia feels out of control emotionally, and Cassies death spirals that out of control.

This being said, I'll admit the ghost aspect came out of no where for me.  It is arguable whether or not it was actually Cassies ghost or Lia hallucinating due to the lack of substance to her body as well as loss of blood time and time again by the cutting.  Either way, that was a very unique element for me when reading this book. I thought that giving a physical embodiment or representation to Lia's constant struggle with emotion, Cassie, and her weight was a brilliant way to convey the internal struggle that Lia must adhere to constantly.

Additionally, it was nice to see a nice ending for the lead character (albeit a difficult one).  I think her spiraling to the brink of death and, once face to face with it, realizing she wants to live, is both great and fundamental when dealing with such issues. I believe most people when they say they don't fear death because I don't think we as humans necessarily do.  We fear what comes after, or lack there of. We fear it because we don't understand it, we don't know it. And you always fear what you don't understand.  Lia realized she wanted to live. She wanted to be better and stop the suffering.  She fought her urges, and she fought the inner problems. This is what makes the book worth the read.

I would teach this book in class. I feel the themes are strong and relevant in todays classrooms. I also feel that the "ghost" element makes it more of a fiction which may help students when reading.

I give this book a B.