Paperweight

By: Meg Haston

Narrated by: Mandy Siegfried

This emotionally haunting and beautifully written young adult debut delves into the devastating impact of trauma and loss, in the vein of Laurie Halse Anderson’s Wintergirls.

Seventeen-year-old Stevie is trapped. In her life. In her body. And now in an eating-disorder treatment center on the dusty outskirts of the New Mexico desert.

Life in the center is regimented and intrusive, a nightmare come true. Nurses and therapists watch Stevie at meal time, accompany her to the bathroom, and challenge her to eat the foods she’s worked so hard to avoid.

Her dad has signed her up for sixty days of treatment. But what no one knows is that Stevie doesn’t plan to stay that long. There are only twenty-seven days until the anniversary of her brother Josh’s death—the death she caused. And if Stevie gets her way, there are only twenty-seven days until she, too, will end her life.

Paperweight follows seventeen-year-old Stevie’s journey as she struggles not only with a life-threatening eating disorder, but with the question of whether she can ever find absolution for the mistakes of her past…and whether she truly deserves to.

Difficult to Follow

The book has a lot of flashbacks, which makes it hard to follow. The storyline is not linear and was frustrating because the details weren't always relevant and it was hard to follow if what was being said was in the past or the present. the story itself was decent but the way it was written left a lot to be desired for me.

couldn't finish

I read reviews complaining about the random fake country accent but I thought "how bad can it really be"... but it made it really difficult to listen to... I couldn't even finish it!

narrator ruined it for me

I really struggled to get through this, I don't think it was the writting... I believe it was the narrator.

Beautiful and real

It's a very genuine depiction of mental illness. I never had a eating disorder, so I can't say for sure about that part, but there were still so many things that were recognisable, so I would guess that the eating disorder part is genuine too. I think this book is great for people who deals or have dealt with mental illness of some sort, because it feels nice when you see that someone really understands, when most people don't. But I also think it's great for everyone else too, whether they know someone with a mental illness or not, because it can help them understand more about this really important issue, get a glimpse of the logic behind the irrationality, and hopefully help fight the stigma that mentally ill people have to deal with. And it's just written so beautifully! It doesn't have lots of unnecessary twists and turns that may be exciting for some people and triggering for others. Which is so nice, cause there's more than enough of books, shows and movies that make serious and horrible issues into sexy entertainment. This book express es something real, and digs deep down into it without all that. Of course it's impossible to know exactly what might trigger some people, but I would think this is a safe book for most people. This is a book the world needs. I loved it!

Insightful and honest

This story is written and narrated beautifully. The listener is allowed into the mind of someone who is going through the painful process of opening up and healing. Her thoughts and memories are vividly portrayed. A must-listen for anyone who wants to better understand not only eating disorders but also depression, anxiety, self-harm and suicidal ideation.