This is a contemporary story about Anna, who has been suffering from anorexia for at least 3 years and at 26yrd weighs about what I used to weigh in middle school. Her husband, Matthais, sends her to 17 Swann Street, a residential rehabilitation center for women with eating disorders. Once there, Anna meets the other women of 17 Swann Street and must face the fact that if she does not change her life, she will die.
I think The Girls at 17 Swann Street does a great job of taking us into the mind of a person suffering from anorexia. You feel Anna's stress and anxiety throughout the book as she struggles to eat even the simplest of meals. You also feel the logic behind her behavior as she periodically succeeds and fails at different points of her recovery. I would have liked to learn more about each character and their back-stories, and although the writing style was not particularly my favorite, I think the depth taken to describe Anna's process was excellent! The book left me with many questions to consider regarding the internal struggles of a person with anorexia, the responsibility of those around them, as well as the difficulties of both trying to heal together. I would definitely recommend for fans of Girl, Interrupted and Orange is the New Black (the books!).
I think The Girls at 17 Swann Street does a great job of taking us into the mind of a person suffering from anorexia. You feel Anna's stress and anxiety throughout the book as she struggles to eat even the simplest of meals. You also feel the logic behind her behavior as she periodically succeeds and fails at different points of her recovery. I would have liked to learn more about each character and their back-stories, and although the writing style was not particularly my favorite, I think the depth taken to describe Anna's process was excellent! The book left me with many questions to consider regarding the internal struggles of a person with anorexia, the responsibility of those around them, as well as the difficulties of both trying to heal together. I would definitely recommend for fans of Girl, Interrupted and Orange is the New Black (the books!).