GIRL IN PIECES
by Kathleen Glasgow
Published: August 30th 2016
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Source: Publisher (at YallWest!)
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥Charlotte Davis is in pieces. At seventeen she’s already lost more than most people lose in a lifetime. But she’s learned how to forget. The thick glass of a mason jar cuts deep, and the pain washes away the sorrow until there is nothing but calm. You don’t have to think about your father and the river. Your best friend, who is gone forever. Or your mother, who has nothing left to give you.
Every new scar hardens Charlie’s heart just a little more, yet it still hurts so much. It hurts enough to not care anymore, which is sometimes what has to happen before you can find your way back from the edge.
My Thoughts
Take a deep breath before starting this one because you’ll likely be holding it the entire time you’re reading. What a beautiful, weighted, perfect story that I didn’t know I needed until I read it!
I’m tired of drunk and desperate. I’m tired and angry at me. For letting myself get smaller and smaller in the hopes that he would notice me more. But how can someone notice you if you keep getting smaller?
I absolutely love Charlie. She is anything but perfect. She’s messy and a little messed up. Her support system is worse off than she is, at best. So much bad shit has happened in her life and yet, she’s still here. She makes it clear: she’s not trying to die by suicide. But how do you live when you never really have?
The book starts off with Charlie’s hospitalization. Charlie isn’t saying a word but her message is loud and clear: bad stuff has happened and her self harming behavior took a turn for the worse. Her body is riddled with scars from cutting and her self-worth is minimal. She’s homeless, the walking wounded, and her friends and family have enabled her in some fashion. Upon a too-soon release from the institution, she heads out to a friend’s place. From there the story develops into her journey of healing and growth.
I had recently finished Exit, Pursued by a Bear, and was pleasantly surprised by how the main character handled her trauma. I was equally surprised with Girl in Pieces because while Charlie’s journey isn’t straightforward (it’s very much one step forward, two steps back for quite a long time), it’s clear she understands what she needs to do and is fumbling through figuring it out. Her small triumphs made me smile and cheer for her. Her backslides made me sad and I hoped for her the way you would a good friend who’s struggling.
I remember when the publisher’s representative handed me a copy of Girl in Pieces. She told me it was one of the best books coming out this fall and also one of the most emotional releases. She couldn’t have been more correct. This is a story of mental health that gets it right, not because the adults are so great and because the person gets what they need (they aren’t and she doesn’t), but because Charlie navigates through this period of time and comes out at the end. Sometimes that’s all you can hope for. And it’s enough.
Kathleen Glasgow is offering preorder bonuses so grab your copy now and get some goodies!
— Kathleen Glasgow (@kathglasgow) August 22, 2016