Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow - OPTIONAL

Glasgow, Kathleen Girl in Pieces, 406 pages. Delacorte Press (Random), 2016.

Language: R (377 swears, 216 ‘F’) Mature Content: R (Drug use, Sex, self-harm, PTSD,and frank sexual discussions) Violence: R (abuse, rape)

Charlie remembers her life in flashbacks. She remembers that she almost died from self-inflicted wounds, and her dearest friend is almost dead herself. Her brief stay at the hospital helps, but when her Grandmother becomes ill and cannot afford to pay for her medical bills, Charlie must face the world and learn how to love herself. She must learn how to start new every single day.  

This novel was artfully written, but so incredibly painful. The author fantastically portrays the inner turmoil of Charlie and her hard life and hard grief. I suppose this is why it is so easy to connect with her. All the characters were vivid and complex. You could understand them even if you didn’t like their choices. Deep in the heart of this novel though, is the slow progression to self-health after trauma or addiction. It also says some interesting things about how your environment plays a key part in how hard it is to break bad habits. I do have to say that despite all its merits, this book is very crass and has some content that I would not recommend to any under seventeen years of age. 

HS- OPTIONAL. Student Reviewer: Jewels, 12th grade