This is a teen novel about eating disorders, and so it is serious.  Eating disorders have a mortality rate comparable to that of the most serious mental illnesses.  The story in the book is composed of diary entries by 17-year-old Stevie, who is not only aiming to control her weight at any cost, but also is also planning her own death, for the one year anniversary of the accident which killed her brother Josh.  She has been sent to a ward for young women with eating disorders. She is a roommate with Ashley, who on first impression is having an easier time than Stevie. But Stevie has a lot to learn, both about judging others and judging herself. She is in individual psychotherapy with her Shrink, and she also has various group activities, including cooking classes where she has to renegotiate her relationship with food. Paperweight delivers a lot of information about treatment techniques and some of the psychological issues behind eating disorders. It is instructive about the diversity of problems that lead to these psychological problems, and it gives some sense of the ability of treatment to help people, although it does not spell out to what extent the recovery process takes years rather than weeks.  Stevie’s path from self-destruction to being ready to accept that she needs help is relatively rapid, yet for most people with these disorders, recovery often takes many years, and relapse is still possible even after full recovery. Nevertheless, this novel is good as a starting point to learn about anorexia and bulimia. Stevie is an engaging narrator, who clearly doesn’t understand all the forces behind her misery at the start, and who gradually comes to learn other ways to live which are healthier. She manages to make friends and she moves from antagonism to respect in several of her relationships in her treatment. Meg Hanson manages to cover a difficult topic in thoughtful and engaging story that isn’t heavy handed with its advice.

© 2015 Christian Perring

Christian Perring, Professor of Philosophy, Dowling College, New York