Customer Reviews

Skinny

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Skinny is the story of two sisters; Giselle, a college-aged med student who has anorexia, and her 8th grade sister, Holly. The chapters alternate narrators to the effect that you get a feeling for how Giselle's anorexia influences both her and those around her.

Giselle's chapters, interspersed with snippets from her med school textbooks, feature a person torn by her own desire for perfection and permanently wounded by a father who openly showed preference for her younger sister. The snippets from the medical textbook act almost as subheads for the pages that follow, and sometimes I found them to be too "artsy." Like something a grad student in a creative writing class would do to make her story seem "different" even if it doesn't really do anything to provide insight. I get the meaning they're often supposed to have, but that's kind of the point. Either the meaning was too obvious, and therefore cheap and unnecessary, or the snippets didn't really seem to have much of a purpose at all. I also failed to see the purpose in her new boyfriend who runs in and out of the book--the one who is so enamored by Giselle's anorexic face that he ignores a broken wrist to go get coffee with her. I feel like the author wanted me to like him, but I was repelled by his tendency for addiction and his dependence on someone who clearly doesn't have enough stamina to even stand on her own. I just kept picturing them, ten years down the road, living out of dirty motel rooms and trying to scrape together enough money for some meth, or something. Yeck.

Holly's chapters almost perfectly capture the inner struggles and angst of being a young teenager. Of course, Holly has a little more on her plate than most kids, her sister has an eating disorder, her father is dead and she is half-deaf. Regardless, the relationship she maintains with her sister is touching in its intimacy and realistic in its acidity.

Sometimes the father's preference for Holly seemed a bit extreme. Like he'd basically hurl Giselle in front of a bus because she was standing in front of Holly when he wanted to hug her. I guessed fairly early on why he was drawn to the younger sibling, but that still wouldn't account for a human being completely and brutally shutting out a child.

All-in-all I'd say this was a very well-written and engaging read. The only part I'm confused about is the ending. See, I read all the pages in the book, but I still didn't get to it. I don't need everything to tie up neatly, like Giselle gains 80 lbs and gets married and gets her doctorate and Holly becomes Student of the Year, but I just wished for a little more epiphany and a little less dreariness.

Giselle is an intelligent, over-achieving medical student who is self-destructive and tormented by her relationship with her dead father. Holly is a blossoming young track star that struggles academically for several reasons, including the fact that she is hearing impaired. Giselle has been hospitalized and forced to return home to recover from anorexia. SKINNY tells the story of the effects of Giselle's illness on these two sisters now that Giselle has come back to the family home. The sisters take turns narrating the story.

Each chapter told from Giselle's perspective is laced with medical textbook excerpts that hold keys to the story. Holly's chapters are often brief and yet very poignant. The book details both sisters learning their family history and struggling with its effect on their current lives. The dialogue between the sisters is very well written, as are their inner monologues.

This book has many subplots and some come together in the end and others are not tied up so neatly. At times it feels as though Kaslik has attempted to write two completely different books about the same characters and weaved them together and yet, overall, the story is incredibly moving and emotional. Each sister's words force the reader to empathize with them despite the fact that they often seem to be battling against each other.

Overall, Kaslik has written a remarkable book about the devastating effects of eating disorders on both the person suffering from the illness and those around them. This book is incredibly weighty and touches on some incredibly intense issues at times, and would likely pose a challenge to even some of the strongest high school readers. But their efforts would not be wasted, as it is an incredibly satisfying read. It is accessible on several levels, so if a younger reader were to read this book they would likely take something from it as well, but revisiting the book later would likely reveal a more complex set of issues and themes.

Reviewed by: Allison M. Rotonda

Holly's older sister is fighting anorexia and Holly herself is trying to cope with her sister's deterioration and change from a top medical student and role model to a sick person in Ibi Kaslik's Skinny. How can she affect her sister's life and how can she consider positive changes in the face of such consuming hungers? SKINNY is a passionate look at anorexia in the family and its effects on the entire family, differing from similar titles that focus on the sufferer alone.

I had a best friend who was Giselle. Even had an Eve who left her. I still blame "Eve" for why my friend was the way she was. I pulled away because I didn't want to deal with what Holly did. My friend got better and she struggles every day. She even read this book. When I told her I was reading it, she told me I would love it. Told me she was happy when I told her I was proud of all the progress she has made. That she now has someone she loves who loves her who is not going to hurt her and makes her stronger. I would like to think I used to be that person for her....I used to be. I swear this book is written about my friend and I am glad she made it through the storm.

I loved this book. I couldn't put it down. I would take breaks at work not to eat or get away from the job but to go to the lunch room and ignore everything, my phone or my radio going off of someone who needed me, just to read these words. I could never do this to my family but at the same time, I can relate to the voice in Giselle's head telling her she is awful even when she's not.....even though I am actually awful.

Anyway, read this book. You probably know someone who is going through this even if you don't know it. Please don't be afraid to give them the help they need because it may be too late if you don't.

Ibi Kaslik thought about what it is like when your sister has an eating disorder, and also takes the book from the perspective if you had that eating disorder. Two sisters recount the days when everything was well, their dad was alive, and when none of them had anorexia. They also talk about the present, their struggles with their relationship, food, and other people. These sisters go through a life changing experience when one of them is on the verge of death. They learn, by leaning on each other, they can work through the bumps and potholes of life.

First thoughts:

Hmmm, I had picked this book up to give it a try, hadn't really read much on it but when reading the summary it piped my interest. And from the very first page I was sucked into a world where I could barely breathe. The authors attention to detail really opened up a new way to connect the character of the book with the reader. The writing was very poetic and deep, something that I loved a lot. There were some weak spots, spots I wished could haven been different but in all honesty I'd have to be the character to do that. It was indeed a really emotional and heart constricting read.

Summary:

This story takes place between two girls, each chapter alternates the point of view. The first view of Giselle who is a med student and has an eating disorder and the second being from her sister Holly who is having a hard time dealing with her sisters problem.

Between the two you are being taken into their world where they lost their father, the same father who hated Giselle and loved Holly. Being mistreated by her father Giselle couldn't do anything but become a total wreck, she had to grasp onto something she could control and that happened to be her eating habits. She thinks her sister has the perfect body and hers being a bloated mess. She's always envied her sister. So she has this double side to her, the other half that's telling her to stop eating, to look in the mirror and see how ugly she is. Giselle can't do anything but listen.

Soon after being released from the hospital for her disorder her life gets even worse, she still doesn't eat, her family is falling apart and she feels she's losing anyone she ever thought loved her. And Holly is being trampled along the way, she used to look up to her sister but now she has to be the one in charge. Can the two of them get their lives untwisted before its too late?

Last thoughts:

A very deep and serious read. Not really a book for young readers but for those who think wrongly of themselves and think that no one could ever possibly love them. I loved the twisted double edge sword concept in this book and will never forget that last image in the book. Not everything can end well, not every book has a happily ever after. Kaslik is a very talented author and I can't wait to see some other books she's come out with.

Amazing raw and touching, Skinny is narrated by two sisters who both live with their own problems. One who's just gotten out of the hospital due to an eating disorder and the other who's just trying to figure out herself and what's wrong with her family. The author throws in real facts about Anorexia nervosa every few pages which makes the story more interesting and understandable. The ending could be interpreting in many ways but mine is of something better than what it was like before for the two girls.

I recently read the kindle version of this book. I was excited to read it because of the good reviews, but after reading the book I don't understand why there were so many. The first 10 chapters are really slow and a storyline does not develop until after then. Even though there is a storyline, there is not a concrete plot to the book, otherwise a very minor one. The conflict and resolution is basically a descriptive story of of two sisters dealing with one of the sister's struggle with anorexia. I would not even recommend this book to a person who has an eating disorder because it has a very sad ending and gives the impression that if you suffer with this disease you will never overcome it. The only reason I gave this book two stars instead of one is because it was very poetic and eloquently written.

I have just finished this book. I am a teen and thought it can teach girls alot about eating disorders. While many people make fun of eating disorders and act like they are no big deal, this book shows that they are. It gives you an intense background of how Giselle became an anorexic. it also lets you understand how it affects her mother and younger sister Holly. This book was more of a challenge for me. But with my trusty Webster's dictionary I got through the book and I am happy I did. This book was beautiful. I suggest only a higher skill of readers to try this book, they should also be mature and open minded.

I really enjoyed this book. Though it took me a while to get into it i ended up really liking it. The beginning is slow but my friend convinced me to stick it out and i'm happy i did.