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GISELLE IS 22, a top medical student and a functioning anorexic. Except now, driven by the pressures of school and her late father’s rejection, Giselle is no longer functioning. Her sister Holly, a 14-year-old track star, can see that Giselle is going to have to confront a few things if she wants to get better. It seems easier for the athletic Holly-she sweats through life’s problems―but now even she feels burdened by the past.Ibi Kaslik’s vivid novel captures with devastating honesty the story of two sisters struggling to come to terms with their adult selves. Edgy and powerful, Skinny is a sometimes gritty and often wryly funny look at growing up and the hunger for acceptance that drives us all.
The fragile equilibrium of two sisters is shattered when Giselle’s struggle with anorexia reaches a critical breaking point, forcing both siblings to confront the ghosts of their past. Giselle, a medical student, finds her academic and personal life unraveling under the weight of her eating disorder and the lingering shadow of her father’s disapproval. Her younger sister, Holly, attempts to maintain her own stability through athletics, yet she finds herself increasingly drawn into the orbit of Giselle’s decline. The narrative alternates between the perspectives of the two sisters, providing a dual-lens view of their shared history and their divergent methods of coping with trauma. As the pressure mounts, both characters must navigate the physical and psychological barriers that prevent them from achieving genuine self-acceptance.
This novel is characterized by its unflinching examination of the psychological toll of eating disorders and the complexities of sisterhood. The narrative style suggests a focus on the internal monologue of its protagonists, prioritizing raw honesty over sentimental resolution. The dual-perspective framework allows for a nuanced exploration of how trauma manifests differently in two individuals within the same family unit. The work appears to lean into a stark, realistic portrayal of the struggle for identity, avoiding easy answers in favor of a gritty look at the process of recovery and self-discovery.
Page Count:
256
Publication Date:
2005-05-03
Publisher:
Harper Perennial
ISBN-10:
0006392288
ISBN-13:
9780006392286