There are plenty of books out there that deal with anorexia, but Skin is different. Skin is told from the point of view of Donnie, whose sister Karen is an anorexic. This unique perspective is what makes this book so great. The book starts off with Donnie finding Karen dead on the living room floor. He tries to revive her, to no avail. The book is told as a flashback leading up to this point.
Donnie is fourteen, Karen sixteen, and they are often exiled to the front porch during their parents screaming matches. No matter what the weather, the freezing cold of winter, or the steaming heat of summer, Donnie and Karen know what it's like to wait outside for the yelling to die down. Karen is Donnie's protector, and looks out for him even as her health diminishes. Donnie looks up to his sister and loves to spend time with her and her best friend Amanda. Donnie doesn't have many friends of his own, and the two that he does have treat him like garbage. As Karen gets sicker and sicker, Donnie feels he is becoming invisible. He doesn't talk to anyone at school, and his parents are too busy fighting with each other and figuring out to do with Karen to notice him. He finds Karen's daily diary of the food she consumes and he is horrified, but he doesn't know how to help her. Despite all of this, Donnie maintains a sense of humor through the sadness. The minor characters are really great too, especially Karen's best friend Amanda, who can't figure out how to help Karen without betraying her trust.
I HIGHLY recommend this book! If you read it, make sure to leave comments below!
