Girl In Pieces is a novel about Charlie Davis, a 17-year-old girl who has faced lots of trauma at a young age; the death of her own father, an abusive mother who does not give her the time of day, and living on the streets for most of her lifetime. Because of this, Charlie has one of her worst self-harm experiences yet. It’s so bad that she is taken to a treatment center. She must learn from the other young girls around her.

Young teens may not understand this book on an emotional level. There is a trigger and consent warning for self-harm as you purchase the book online. This book is for a more mature audience because the author shares how Charlie harms herself using different objects. She must overcome her sensations to cut herself because she feels alone, and isolated from the people around her. The author’s writing is very intense and does a great job of moving the characters along to follow her journey of self-harm recovery. I like books like this because I love to see character development, primarily in teens because I, myself, am close to Charlie’s age.

 I enjoy how this story follows a wild ride through romance, addiction, and love.  One aspect I really like is how raw Gasgows’ writing really is. Girl in Pieces is far from one of your typical ¨issue¨ books and not just another quick read. An issue book is a type of book to show kids that they are not alone. The author herself has disclosed that she went through a stage of self-harm at a young age and is writing from some of her experiences.  

Girl in Pieces is worth reading if you are looking for a dark and compelling story that will have you on the edge of your seat because of how intriguing and unpredictable it is. It might take you a while to comprehend and fully read, front to back. What I know for sure is that this book will stay with you for days after you finish reading it, as it has for me.