First Line: "My name is Zoe Propp." Not the most exciting lead I've ever read.
Plot: When junior Zoe Propp is dropped off by her mom at an institution for anorexic girls, she doesn't understand. The other girls are delicate twigs, while Zoe considers herself much more normal in body weight and sanity. Zoe spends her time writing letters to her best friend Elise, who doesn't ever write back. What's going on?
Comments: Zoe Letting Go was written in the form of diary entries and letters from Zoe to Elise - this style worked really well for the story, especially because the reader only knew what Zoe told them. I liked Zoe's voice throughout the book.
The stories of all the anorexic girls helped introduce the reader to the complications of the phrase "eating disorder": it showed just how dangerous these obsessions can be through the perspectives of otherwise normal girls. Meaning, an eating disorder isn't something that only happens to a crazy person - it's real and happens to real people. The girls in this book started out just trying to fit in and look skinny, like many girls, but for these teens it became something more. The hardest part to understand is the way in which these girls viewed their new eating habits as normal, or not a big deal. That's why I think this is such an important story to read - teenagers need to know that this happens to normal people, and they need to see both the consequences of eating disorders and the results of trying to recover from one.
As for Zoe specifically, I didn't actually like her very much. She whined a little more than I liked, and though she didn't want to participate, she spilled opinions and secrets constantly (and, I thought, unrealistically) during her sessions with the counselor. I'm not entirely sure why, but I just didn't like Zoe, which made it difficult for me to care about her problems.
The details about how the institution worked were pretty interesting, though, and seemed to be very well researched. I'd never known much before about the recovery of anorexics, so I found the detail helped make the story feel real. I also enjoyed the recipes sporadically placed throughout the book.
The ending was predictable, honestly. I'd guessed what was up with Elise before I was even halfway through the book. It lessened the whole impact of the big reveal at the end and left the story anticlimactic. The story also didn't go into a lot of detail and left plenty of questions unanswered. Zoe never actually seemed to get better, either - none of the girls did, though they all left the institution after the chosen block of time. Their eating disorders or other issues weren't resolved.
Rating: I rate Zoe Letting Go a seven out of ten.
Plot: When junior Zoe Propp is dropped off by her mom at an institution for anorexic girls, she doesn't understand. The other girls are delicate twigs, while Zoe considers herself much more normal in body weight and sanity. Zoe spends her time writing letters to her best friend Elise, who doesn't ever write back. What's going on?
Comments: Zoe Letting Go was written in the form of diary entries and letters from Zoe to Elise - this style worked really well for the story, especially because the reader only knew what Zoe told them. I liked Zoe's voice throughout the book.
The stories of all the anorexic girls helped introduce the reader to the complications of the phrase "eating disorder": it showed just how dangerous these obsessions can be through the perspectives of otherwise normal girls. Meaning, an eating disorder isn't something that only happens to a crazy person - it's real and happens to real people. The girls in this book started out just trying to fit in and look skinny, like many girls, but for these teens it became something more. The hardest part to understand is the way in which these girls viewed their new eating habits as normal, or not a big deal. That's why I think this is such an important story to read - teenagers need to know that this happens to normal people, and they need to see both the consequences of eating disorders and the results of trying to recover from one.
As for Zoe specifically, I didn't actually like her very much. She whined a little more than I liked, and though she didn't want to participate, she spilled opinions and secrets constantly (and, I thought, unrealistically) during her sessions with the counselor. I'm not entirely sure why, but I just didn't like Zoe, which made it difficult for me to care about her problems.
The details about how the institution worked were pretty interesting, though, and seemed to be very well researched. I'd never known much before about the recovery of anorexics, so I found the detail helped make the story feel real. I also enjoyed the recipes sporadically placed throughout the book.
The ending was predictable, honestly. I'd guessed what was up with Elise before I was even halfway through the book. It lessened the whole impact of the big reveal at the end and left the story anticlimactic. The story also didn't go into a lot of detail and left plenty of questions unanswered. Zoe never actually seemed to get better, either - none of the girls did, though they all left the institution after the chosen block of time. Their eating disorders or other issues weren't resolved.
Rating: I rate Zoe Letting Go a seven out of ten.
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