The Stone Girl

The Stone Girl

YA fiction
"...She isn't skinny enough to count her bones there, the way
she's heard some anorexics do, and she can see how counting the bones
would be comforting, a reminder of where your efforts to lose weight
must end: bones that jut out defiantly, saying you cannot get any
thinner than we are. Sethie pinches the skin over her ribs. She
could still be thinner."
High school senior Sethie, protagonist of Alyssa Sheinmel's The
Stone Girl, is in a world of trouble. At 5'4" tall and 111 pounds she
sees herself as disgustingly fat. Rules for losing weight control her
life and conscious thought: when she can eat, what she can eat, how
much of it she is allowed to consume... Her fear of fattening food
has caused her to drop out of yearbook, unsure of her ability to
resist the pizza and Chinese take out the staff noshes on during
meetings. Meals can be battlegrounds. Sometimes she is so hungry and
food looks so good she can't control herself. When a friend shows her
how to make herself vomit she thinks she's found the solution for when
she consumes too many calories.
The other obsession in Sethie's life is not helping her either.
She's over the moon over seemingly perfect Shaw and unsure if her
feelings are reciprocated. True they have sex and do drugs on a
regular basis. However, kisses are few and far between and gestures
like public hand holding that would reassure her of her specialness in
his eyes are absent. In fact she does her best to not anger him and
feels despair when she slips up.
Sethie goes to a hyper competitive school and has a largely
absent mom. So when she takes more and more extreme measures to cope
with her fears no one seems to notice. This is a beautifully written
book by someone who has been there. Sheinmel for years starved
herself to lose weight. It's a must read for parents, teachers,
guidance counselors...anyone who cares about a real life Sethie.
On a personal note, I have maintained a healthy weight 15 months now.
In fact I've even gained 5 pounds with no anxieties whatsoever.
A great big shout out and encouragement to stay strong and believe
things can get better goes out to all people struggling with eating
disorders and the family members and friends who love them.
Julia Emily Hathaway


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