Young adult books, including mental health issues, are so important in today’s literary world. Books like these are relevant to what young people are going through and I hope more people get access to books such as these, whether it’s through your local library, implementing it in your school curriculum, purchasing online or in-store.
Get healthy on their own—or stay sick together?
At Recovery and Relief, a treatment center for girls with eating disorders, the first thing Shoshana Winnick does is attach herself to vibrant but troubled Rowan Parish. Shoshana—a cheerleader on a hit reality TV show—was admitted for starving herself to ensure her growth spurt didn’t ruin her infamous tumbling skills. Rowan, on the other hand, has known anorexia her entire life, thanks to her mother’s “chew and spit” guidance. Through the drudgery and drama of treatment life, Shoshana and Rowan develop a fierce intimacy—and for Rowan, a budding infatuation, that neither girl expects.
As “Gray Girls,” patients in the center’s Gray plan, Shoshana and Rowan are constantly under the nurses’ watchful eyes. They dream of being Blue, when they will enjoy more freedom and the knowledge that their days at the center are numbered. But going home means separating and returning to all the challenges they left behind. The closer Shoshana and Rowan become, the more they cling to each other—and their destructive patterns. Ultimately, the girls will have to choose: their recovery or their relationship.
[Derived from Goodreads]
Before We Were Blue follows the story of best friends Soshana and Rowan in an institute for girls with anorexia. Their ups and downs, conflicts, mending and building of relationships develop as they realize what might help in their recovery. The term ‘blue’ is used as a color in their program to signify their process and becomes a goal for both girls.
Sometimes there are just two people, at the same point in time, who give themselves over to the magnetism of their chemistry. - 29% into the ebook
Both girls strive for the blue color as it is a sign of progress and they can redeem more benefits at the institution, but getting there is what becomes these girls’ downfall and their friendship test. After an incident where Soshana becomes blue, Rowan has to navigate without her partner in crime. This creates friction between them, as Soshana only advances in the program while Rowan acts out. Eventually Soshana returns home, but life doesn’t become easier on the outside.
Plot wise, the flow of this story was superb. There are clear aspects to go back through and realize when these girls’ lives change, what changes it and how it has affected them. The author created an atmosphere that was toxic and pressurizing for all the girls in the program, which reflected accurately to real life. I became so drawn and immersed in the main character’s lives that I really felt empathetic and understood their battle with anorexia. The book is told from both Soshana and Rowan’s perspective as to grasp not only their different takes on their condition but how it’s affecting them personally and the surrounding people.
You're my heroin(e), with and without the e, and without you here I'm having all the symptoms of a real detox. Shaky, nauseated, desperate to get you back. - 53% into the ebook
At first I thought Rowan was the damaged and unpredictable out of the duo but by the end of the book, Soshana is the one! Not particularly, but the author wrote both characters fighting the same condition in totally different ways. Their story is beautifully tragic. Here and there you will strive for Rowan’s point of view, then get anxious over Soshana as the story continues. They are complex teenage girls going through something massive in their lives which affects their identity. On top of that, the author managed to highlight the realities of relationships, not only with each other, but adult figures and outside influence.
There are many themes to reflect upon in this book, but what connects them all is the central theme of relationships. Not only the progressiveness of the main characters, but the people around them. Their level of understanding of Soshana’s and Rowan’s condition influences how they perceive them throughout the novel. The trials these characters face whether they are in the facility or an outsider assisting the main character or a simple obstacle in their recovery, either strengths or depletes the overall development of Soshana or Rowan.
Apart from telling how this story went, it was an emotional rollercoaster—not only for the two girls, but myself as a reader! One of my favorite tropes is best friends and the difficulties they go through. Sadly, these two girls go through so much in one book! I loved how realistic it was and din’t gloss over the hard times. I might have shed a tear or two at the end, but it’s a bittersweet ending.
If I could go back in time and experience this wonderful book again and all its emotions, I would. That’s why I have no problem in rating it five stars!
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