SKINNY by Donna Cooner

Hardcover, 272 pages

Published October 1st 2012 by Point

ISBN: 0545427630

Source: Publisher

Rating:  ♥♥♥♥♥

Find your voice.

Hopeless. Freak. Elephant. Pitiful. These are the words of Skinny, the vicious voice that lives inside fifteen-year-old Ever Davies’s head. Skinny tells Ever all the dark thoughts her classmates have about her. Ever knows she weighs over three hundred pounds, knows she’ll probably never be loved, and Skinny makes sure she never forgets it.

But there is another voice: Ever’s singing voice, which is beautiful but has been silenced by Skinny. Partly in the hopes of trying out for the school musical—and partly to try and save her own life—Ever decides to undergo a risky surgery that may help her lose weight and start over.

With the support of her best friend, Ever begins the uphill battle toward change. But demons, she finds, are not so easy to shake, not even as she sheds pounds. Because Skinny is still around. And Ever will have to confront that voice before she can truly find her own.

My Thoughts:

Months ago I attended a book launch event of which a few authors read a passage from their respective novels. One of those authors was Donna Cooner and when she read the beginning and ending of her novel Skinny, I was blown away.

Controversial and emotionally riveting, Skinny will make you laugh and cry and you will not easily forget Ever  and her journey to self acceptance and love.

Skinny has been with Ever Davie's since her mother passed away and she has never left, making sure that Ever never forgets who she really is....Fatty, Freak Show, Idiot. Those are just a few of the names that Skinny, Ever's constant companion is always throwing at her, sabotaging her everyday existence. Then one day after a horrifically embarrassing incident at school she decides to take matters into her own hands, thus beginning a change in Ever's life, but it will take more than weight loss to shed Skinny from Ever's conscience. Will she be strong enough to make that change and allow her beautiful singing voice to take center stage instead? Only time will tell.

Wow! SKINNY by Donna Cooner is an amazing read that made me go through a roller coaster of emotions. She was able to show case Ever Davie's a character with such honesty and true feelings that I could empathize with her plight. How often do we let that malicious inner voice into our very lives having it thwart our intentions? My heart ached for her. Then as she decided on her surgery I initially thought she took the easy way out but as I read her story I realized that it was not any easier, quicker maybe, but definitely not easier. And as her weight plummets and her body changes, so does Ever as her inner voice begins to slowly disappear, and I must say that when she finally confronts Skinny I was left an ugly mess but feeling so much lighter of heart.

SKINNY is a must read for 2012. This is a story that is well paced and beautifully written with characters that will surely capture your heart.