Prior to reading Girl in Pieces I did question whether I’d be left a little unfulfilled due to it being classed as a young adult novel, but it resonated with me in ways that I wasn’t expecting. I actually finished this book a few weeks ago, and it’s taken a lot of to-ing and fro-ing over what to include in this write up. I’ve eventually decided to be honest about why it affected me so much…
I was 14 the first time I self harmed, and it stayed with me in varying forms until about seven years ago. Even now I still get fleeting urges of needing that release, and I regularly struggle with passive suicidal ideation. This is a book filled with heavy topics, and for me Girl in Pieces was as traumatic as it was therapeutic. There were many times I had to stop reading due to being overwhelmed at Charlie’s experiences and I’m not ashamed to admit I cried regularly throughout.
From her beginnings in a psychiatric ward, to progressing into a new life in the wide world - with many ups and downs along the way - Charlie is explored in ways that make the reader confront some extremely tough topics. Her time in the ward is erratic, confused, and lonely; the chapters there are short and disjointed. Her life following release is explored and explained in greater detail, chapters are longer and more coherent, reflecting Charlie's progress. Her job becomes a main focus, alongside a relationship with a walking red flag, and her interactions with others explore how she progresses internally as well as physically.
Despite being only 17, and clearly immature in some ways throughout the book, Charlie is actually a likeable character. Some younger main characters read very young, but Kathleen Glasgow really managed to strike a balance and inject maturity and likability into a young lead character. There's so much vulnerability in Charlie, and she does act in 'typical' 17-year-old ways, but it's not to her detriment. As I was reading I felt protective towards her, and hopeful that things would come good.
Glasgow's writing and character development are wonderful, and even in the darker moments certain things are written about in an evocative way that paint such a beautiful - albeit tragic - picture. I particularly enjoyed the development from the unpredictable, erratic beginning into chapters that were more fleshed out and immersive; I found it to be a clever way of demonstrating Charlie's progress. Sure there is a lot of turmoil, so many hardships, and a raft of emotion running through every page, but there's the feeling that forward steps are being made.
Many parts of the book made me sob, as there were so many thoughts and feelings coming through the pages that were reflections of my own life. Not only from the self harm aspect, but thinking about loving someone toxic, to living with the aftermath of sexual assault, to having money worries, to questioning others' perceptions of you...it often felt like a checklist of my own experiences.
At one stage Charlie muses “Everyone seems to have a grip on life but me. When is anything going to get better?” and it's a question I’ve asked myself innumerable times. Seeing my own thoughts written in the pages of a book felt extremely profound, and the numerous parallels had me taking stock frequently. I won't lie, I found it hard to get through some parts.
Self harm and the turmoil that comes along with it is a lonely, terrifying, heartbreaking experience. Girl in Pieces explores that beautifully. We all like a happy ending, and this book does somehow manage to have an underlying tone of 'things will get better'. Though you can't always see that in the moment, and when you're stuck in the mire you wonder if you'll ever get out of it, the book did feel like it was written with a dose of hope for Charlie.
Girl in Pieces will stay with me for a long time, and it's my first five star of the year. If you're considering a read, I would of course recommend...just try and prepare yourself for the difficult topics.
Rating: ✨✨✨✨✨
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