Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow
Hi, my name is Rya. I am a sophomore and I enjoy reading, swimming and traveling.
Charlie Davis struggles with a traumatic past, mental health disorders, and self-harm. She is taken to a home for girls with similar problems, where she finds some comfort, but also feels trapped. When she is finally allowed to leave, Charlie is determined to leave her past behind her. She moves across the country, rents her own apartment, gets a job at a local coffee shop, and pursues her artistic passions.
But a kit full of glass shards and bandages stays carefully tucked away, a reminder of Charlie’s past and a reminder that that past may not be over. Charlie also meets Riley West, a former rock star, and alcohol and drug addict. Although Charlie recognizes his bad influence on her efforts to restart her life, Charlie can’t help but fall in love, which means running down paths she hoped never to see again.
Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow is a profound novel about discovery and healing, centered around the idea that our past experiences and mistakes affect us deeply, but that we are strong enough to resist them defining us. This book is definitely heavy with intense topics and scenes. But, it is important that awareness is raised about distressing subjects through the writing of books like this one.
Overall, I found the language, plot, and characters in this book to be well-developed, and, although this is not my favorite book of all time, it is absolutely worth a read.
