Sethie is both angry and incredibly hungry. She cannot understand why other girls don't seem to have to work as hard to be thin and she will stop at nothing to force the number on the scale as low as possible. She is driven in school, she has her college applications ready early, and she is determined to make Shaw her boyfriend. Everything starts to unravel as she sinks further and further into herself, her illness overtaking her entire life.

The Stone Girl is a heartbreaking and disturbing read. Main character Sethie has extremely low self-esteem, is allowing herself to be shamelessly used by a boy, is starving and vomiting her way to a dangerously low weight, is engaging in reckless and dangerous behavior, and is alienating everyone who cares about her. The publisher's recommended age for this book is twelve and up, but the subject matter, content, and language make it much more appropriate for those over fourteen. Teens engage in sex rather casually, underage drinking and pot smoking are prevalent, cocaine is present, and cutting (self-harm) takes place. Language is graphic. This story is of a girl who is deeply unhappy and damaged, and who sinks deeper and deeper into her eating disorder as a result. Teens are largely unsupervised and Sethie's mother seems oblivious to her damaging behavior until it is almost too late. This story does end on an upswing, with Sethie's mother and best friend Janey intervening, and with Sethie agreeing that she needs and wants help. Pro-ana websites are mentioned, and Sethie uses one in order to obtain weight loss tips. While the overall message is most definitely about the dangers of eating disorders and this is clearly a cautionary tale, it could perhaps be a little too much information for a reader in a fragile mindset or one who may be pre-disposed to an eating disorder.

{be the first to share your thoughts about this book}

{Click on a keyword to find other books containing the same subject matter}