Paperweight Book Review

Content warnings for this novel: eating disorders, grief, death, attempted suicide, depression, abusive relationships.

To be honest, I did not expect to like this book as much as I did.

I was cautious, given the subject matter.

Paperweight follows 17-year-old Stevie, who has just been shuttled from her home in Atlanta to New Mexican camp for eating disorder treatment. The audience quickly learns that Stevie’s eating disorder stems from her mother’s abandonment and the death of her brother Josh, for which Stevie blames herself.

This book was really well-written. Despite being a short novel, the character growth is exceptional, and I am happy with the amount of background and depth given to each side character . I think my favorite characters to learn about were the therapist Anna (or ‘Shrink,’ as Stevie refers to her), and Ashley, Stevie’s roommate.

Throughout the majority of the novel, the readers see into Stevie’s past. This device slowly revealed the mystery behind Josh’s death. The flashbacks were perfectly spaced out and were woven seamlessly into the main story. These memories rounded out Stevie as a character, as it provided insight as to her personality and past traumas. We as the readers got snippets of memories every other chapter, which was just enough to pique our interest and crave the full backstory!

It was refreshing to see Stevie’s character development, as she began to heal and trust in those around her.

While this is not a new favorite book, I think that it was well done and has a powerful message. For some readers struggling with eating disorders, it might be validating and helpful, but for others, it might be triggering. Please use your own discretion when picking up this book.