A dark, edgy, voice-driven literary debut novel about twin sisters that explores body image and queerness as well as toxic diet culture and the power of sisterhood, love, and lifelong friendships, written by a talented protégé of Roxane Gay.
Rose and Lily Winters are twins, so close their bond is magical: they can feel each other’s emotions and taste the way the other is feeling. But their connection can be destructive. The sisters are yin and yang; when Rose stops eating, Lily starts . . . when Lily starts eating, Rose stops.
Like most women, the twins have struggled with their bodies and food since childhood. When the girls at school started dieting and the difference between being unpopular or popular was eating or not, Rose began to restrict her diet while Lily continued eating—overeating—everything that Rose wouldn’t and couldn’t. Now, the adult Rose is living in a rehabilitation facility for anorexics with a herd of other thin girls. Lily, her sole visitor, is the only thing tethering her to a normal life.
But Lily is struggling, too. A kindergarten teacher, she dates abusive men, including a student’s married father, in search of the close yet complicated companionship she lost when she became separated from Rose.
When Lily joins a cult diet group led by a social media faux feminist, whose eating plan consists of consuming questionable non-caloric foods, Rose senses that Lily needs her help. With her sister’s life in jeopardy, Rose must find a way to rescue her—and perhaps, save herself.
Illuminating some of the most fraught and common issues confronting women, Thin Girls is a powerful, emotionally resonant story, beautifully told, that will keep you turning the pages to the gratifying, hopeful end.
Rose and Lily Winters are twins, so close their bond is magical: they can feel each other’s emotions and taste the way the other is feeling. But their connection can be destructive. The sisters are yin and yang; when Rose stops eating, Lily starts . . . when Lily starts eating, Rose stops.
Like most women, the twins have struggled with their bodies and food since childhood. When the girls at school started dieting and the difference between being unpopular or popular was eating or not, Rose began to restrict her diet while Lily continued eating—overeating—everything that Rose wouldn’t and couldn’t. Now, the adult Rose is living in a rehabilitation facility for anorexics with a herd of other thin girls. Lily, her sole visitor, is the only thing tethering her to a normal life.
But Lily is struggling, too. A kindergarten teacher, she dates abusive men, including a student’s married father, in search of the close yet complicated companionship she lost when she became separated from Rose.
When Lily joins a cult diet group led by a social media faux feminist, whose eating plan consists of consuming questionable non-caloric foods, Rose senses that Lily needs her help. With her sister’s life in jeopardy, Rose must find a way to rescue her—and perhaps, save herself.
Illuminating some of the most fraught and common issues confronting women, Thin Girls is a powerful, emotionally resonant story, beautifully told, that will keep you turning the pages to the gratifying, hopeful end.
