With her debut novel, THIN GIRLS, Diana Clarke has entered the literary world as a major force to be reckoned with. The New Zealand writer studied at Purdue University where she received her MFA in fiction. While there, she became Roxane Gay’s protégé and often sought the literary legend's opinion on her work. The book follows the journey of twin sisters Rose and Lily Winters as they struggle to find individual happiness both apart and together. Clarke’s cast of complex characters battles insecurities and eating disorders in a society troubled by toxic diet culture and homophobia.

THIN GIRLS is divided into three sections and told from Rose’s point of view. Clarke writes about Rose and Lily’s lives in the present and provides flashbacks to their childhoods growing up. These are marked by the year, their age and their individual weights. As they age, the identical sisters grow further apart both in their relationship and in their appearances. Clarke also breaks up her writing with interjections of different facts or anecdotes that Rose thinks about in the moment. This technique interrupts the flow of Clarke’s graceful writing but provides insights into Rose’s manner of thinking.

"For fans of MARLENA and GIRL, INTERRUPTED, I highly recommend adding THIN GIRLS to your reading lists."

Readers are introduced to Rose in a rehabilitation center, where she has been for roughly one year due to her eating disorder. Clarke describes Rose’s typical routine living with anorexia, which includes pre-eating sessions, weigh-ins and mealtimes. Her childhood idol, who struggles with bulimia, checks in for treatment. The arrival of Kat Mitchells threatens her status quo at the center and stirs up old feelings about a childhood friend. Lily visits often at the center until she begins a new relationship with a married man who physically abuses her and encourages her to lose weight and change her appearance. It is his influence on Lily’s life that motivates Rose to finally leave the facility.

Once Rose feigns recovery enough to be released, she sets out on her plan to protect her sister while adjusting to the world again among people who are not thin girls. With her free time, she begins learning more about Lily’s boyfriend, Philip, and his wife, Lara Bax, the faux feminist leader of a cultish dieting brand. As Lily becomes more and more consumed with her relationship, Rose finds that her usual tactics to control Lily no longer work. After Rose wakes up in the hospital from malnutrition, Lily confronts Rose about her abusive behavior toward them both. After Lily leaves the hospital with Philip, Rose calls the only number she knows by heart: Jemima.

Through flashbacks to their childhood, Clarke paints a problematic picture of Jemima and her friendship with Rose over the years. Jemima was the popular girl who called all the shots in their circle of friends and always knew how to get what she wanted. From starting Rose on her first diet to creating a pro-anorexia support group, Jemima’s presence in her life had always been distressing. However, it is Jemima whom Rose calls when there is no one else. Their relationship unfolds once Jemima brings Rose to her grandmother’s home right from the hospital. It is here, surrounded by love and support, where Jemima recently recovered from her own eating disorder. It is also where Rose begins her journey to healing.

For fans of MARLENA and GIRL, INTERRUPTED, I highly recommend adding THIN GIRLS to your reading lists. It illuminates the individual ways that we carry our pain. Sometimes we inflict that pain on our own bodies, and sometimes we do so on others. Clarke portrays the many forms in which an abusive relationship can take root in our lives. Through Rose’s story, she illustrates how healing can only begin once the choice is consciously made. It also helps to have a caring nudge along the way.