"We held hands when we walked down the gingerbread path into the forest, blood dripping from our fingers. We danced with witches and kissed monsters. We turned us into wintergirls, and when she tried to leave, I pulled her back into the snow because I was afraid to be alone."

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson is a harrowing novel following the damaged psyche of Lia, a teenaged girl that suffers from anorexia and depression. Lia's recovery is derailed when she finds that her former best friend, Cassie, died alone in a hotel room. The self inflicted pain, judgement, and blame is hard to read, but serves as a chilling reminder that this is what some people go through. This is reality. Wintergirls felt like a prequel of sorts to To The Bone. I really enjoyed the body horror elements, and the cryptic, poetic writing style that Anderson utilizes. The story pierces you even more, that way.