Hunger

I got in a thing for a while where I was reading a lot of a certain type of book. I read a number of books about meth for a couple weeks, which was just charming, and then moved onto eating disorders. I’m totally not gruesome at all. Anyway Hunger, of course, was part  of the eating disorder stint.

Of the novels that I’ve read lately that feature anorexia or bulimia Hunger has got to be one of the better ones. Lisbeth Lewis, the main character, has been listening to her “thin voice” for sometime, and unsurprisingly it is causing her relationships to deteriorate. Things are rocky with her boyfriend, her parents, and she’s not even speaking with her best friend. She’s terrifically depressed and attempts to take her own life.

After a mysterious stranger hands hands her the scales of Famine she must travel to world depriving populations and crops of the sustenance to live. None of it sits right with Lisbeth though, and as she discovers her ability to help strangers and maintain the balance she also must look within herself and find the will to survive in the real world.

Hunger is a fast read that deals with the troubles that teens face in an amusing and poignant manner. Perfect for readers who don’t want to spend a dog’s age getting into a novel, this slim volume provides just the right amount of escape from the daily grind.