Book Review: Rage by Jackie Morse Kessler

Pros: examines real life issues, sympathetic protagonist who gains inner strength

Cons: ending seemed too simplistic given the problems the protagonist faced

For Parents: minor sexual content and descriptions of self-inflicting wounds

Melissa Miller is a cutter.  It's the only way she can deal with the emotions surrounding her.  She knows others wouldn't understand.  Her ex-boyfriend called her a freak when he saw her scars, and broke up with her.

Even so, she doesn't take it well when the personification of Death arrives with a package and tells her her blade's going to slip.  Death knows the worst is yet to come for Missy and he's chosen her as the new incarnation of WAR. 

Though this book is better written than the first of the series, Hunger, in terms of characterization and details, I found myself unable to properly understand Missy's reasoning for cutting herself.  She was entirely sympathetic as a protagonist and yet, while without being anorexic I could relate to Lisabeth Lewis, I had a harder time relating to Missy's way of dealing with her problems.  I imagine this will not be as much of an issue for most teens (who are deep in the trials of high school), whether they're at risk or not.

I also felt the message here overshadowed the story more than in Hunger.

I found the ending problematic.  Things got wrapped up too quickly for me to feel that the character was honestly going to change how she dealt with things, learn to trust others and become a strong woman in control of herself and her life.  I imagine cutting yourself for psychological reasons takes a fair bit of time and effort to overcome.  With her parents continuing their neglect of her and the few weeks of intense pressure at school due to the incident that causes her blade to slip, I can't see her rehabilitating as quickly as the ending seems to suggest.

On the other hand, the protagonist does start to deal with her problems and learns that she can't overcome some things by herself.  She learns there are time when you must trust friends and learns to believe in herself.  In addition to this, it has a good message for youth and adults alike, and treats a difficult issue that's relatively ignored when it comes to fiction. 

Book Review: Hunger By Jackie Morse Kessler

Author's Website: www.jackiemorsekessler.com

Pros: good message that doesn't come off as preachy, realistic look at anorexia

Cons: the books length meant the story was less developed and detailed than it could have been

Lisabeth Lewis is having a tough time. Whenever her mother's around, which isn't often, she's super critical, her boyfriend's too good for her, and her (now former) best friend accused her of being anorexic. As if. She's too fat to be anorexic!

To top it off, she's been chosen by Death to become Famine, Horseman of the Apocalypse.

Hunger is a book with a message. That message is that eating disorders are bad, and those with them don't see the problem with what they're doing or that they need help. Often in books like this the message overshadows the story, becoming preachy. That doesn't happen here. While the novel is short (less than 200 pages), the Famine storyline develops naturally, as does the collapse of Lisa's life due to her eating disorder. And while becoming Famine helps her recognize that she has a problem, it doesn't solve it. Lisa must take steps to solve her anorexia, above and beyond developing a backbone to stand up to the 'thin voice' in her head.

The only cons are that I'd have liked more story development to flesh out her relationships more, and that Death reminded me of Terry Pratchett's anthropomorphized personification from the Discworld series. They both have bizarre senses of humour, but Kessler's isn't the skeletal spectre Pratchett uses.

This is a good book for teens, whether they have an eating disorder or not. Lisa's POV is stark and realistic. I liked how Lisa's problem bloomed from over exercising and obsessively watching what she ate to paranoia and suicidal thoughts. Teens need to learn that some secrets aren't meant to be kept. This book could help identify those who have problems - to themselves or their friends.

A portion of the proceeds from book sales will be donated to NEDA (National Eating Disorders Association).