Skinny

Skinny by Donna Cooner made me seriously re-think all my ratings for this blog, because it is definitely worth the top mark I can give it perhaps more so than some of the other books that got a 5. I conclude I shall create a new top rating even higher than the 5 and it shall be called the Skinny rate...... (a 5.5 - 6 in technical terms!). It was incredible -  Cooper tackles the issue of obesity so well through Ever, a 15 year old girl who weighs 302 pounds (21.5 stone). Ever has a tinkerbell goth girl in her head who whispers to her what people are thinking 'Look how fat she is'. 'Kill me if I ever become like her', I found this incredibly sad and I admit this is one of the places where I cried. Her mum also died from cancer which is one of the reasons Ever became fat, she didn't end her mother and Ever's tradition of eating chocolate at bedtime and she quickly gained weight because she was now doing it all by herself.

Happily ever after? Or never ever, Ever. Ever's mom loved fairy tales, but at fifteen-years-old and weighing 302 lbs, Ever Davies is sure that "happily ever after" was never written for her. She lives under the constant scrutiny of everyone around her, and "Skinny" - the voice in her head - makes sure she never forgets how fat and ugly she is. That is, until Ever decides to take drastic action. With the help of her long-suffering friend Rat, Ever embarks on the risky, terrifying journey of gastric surgery. But while Ever's body gradually changes on the outside, she soon finds that changing the person on the inside is much harder. And silencing Skinny is the hardest task of all.

Ever
Ever is really interesting to follow as you can literally see how she changes, both on the outside and inside. She starts off isolated, unhappy and alone apart from her best friend Rat. After a talk with her stepsister Briella where they insult each other, Briella calling her fat, and so she embarks on gastric surgery. Following this and her drastic weight loss she begins to see how fickle people can be and how she has perceived everything, what she wanted she actually already had. 

Rat
Rat's a science geek, pure and simple, but he's also really sweet and cares a lot for Ever. He doesn't mind she's fat but she doesn't realise this instead Skinny convinces her it's because he pities her and doesn't know how to tell her. Rat supports Ever through her gastric surgery helping her draw up charts etc to map her progress.

Briella
Ever's stepsister at first Briella and Ever don't get on, Ever always being jealous of Briella's skinny body and gorgeous looks. Ever can't see past the physical attributes of people and with Skinny whispering in her ear over reads situations and can't accept compliments or offers of friendships when they're offered. Finally Briella and Ever get on and Ever discovers they have a lot more in common than she previously thought. Briella's cute, spunky and caring, though she feels quite insignificant next to her glamourous cheerleading sister Lydnsey.

 I really loved this novel - it made me laugh, cry, sigh and fall in love with it. Cooner portrays the struggles of obesity and the pain and hardship Ever has to go through as a result of the gastric surgery. Her personal experience adds a credibility to this novel and I really enjoyed the breath of fresh light and the realistic nature of this novel. Skinny wasn't written to be a love story or a portrayal of school life instead it is a honest account of a fat girl attempting to become thin in order to fit in and be happy with her body.

I give Skinny the Skinny rating, 6 out of 5. It was great, eye-opening and loveable in three words. It's coming out in paperback on the 4th of February 2013 and can be pre-ordered from Amazon.co.uk for £5.24. I really really do recommend this, it's an amazing insight into the turmoils of a teenage mind, one whose is insecure and struggles to cope with her body image, even if you're not overweight I promise you can relate to it and this is one of the reasons I strongly suggest it and the main reason I loved it. It's published by Electric Monkey an imprint of Egmont Publishing UK.

En Bon Lu!
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