Girl in Pieces

Kathleen Glasgow's "Girl in Pieces" is a powerful and unflinching young adult novel about Charlotte Davis, a seventeen-year-old girl grappling with immense trauma, including the death of her father and best friend, an historical abusive mother, and child sexual abuse. The story delves deeply into her struggle with self-harm as a coping mechanism and her subsequent journey toward healing and self-discovery. It's a raw, honest, and ultimately hopeful portrayal of resilience, loneliness, and the difficult path to recovery, making it a crucial read for understanding complex mental health issues in teens.

Charlotte Davis is in pieces. At 17 she's already lost more than most people do in a lifetime. But she's learned how to forget. The broken glass washes away the sorrow until there is nothing but calm. You don't have to think about your father and the river. Your best friend, who is gone forever. Or your mother, who has nothing left to give you. Every new scar hardens Charlie's heart just a little more, yet it still hurts so much. It hurts enough to not care anymore, which is sometimes what has to happen before you can find your way back from the edge. A deeply moving portrait of a girl in a world that owes her nothing, and has taken so much, and the journey she undergoes to put herself back together. Kathleen Glasgow's debut is heartbreakingly real and unflinchingly honest. It's a story you won't be able to look away from.