history and historical fiction

Anorexia and Bulimia are subjects that are all too often dealt with in a sensational manner in young adult fiction. Marsha Skrypuch, however, avoids these pitfalls in her wonderful book, "The Hunger", and has written a novel that is thought provoking but never didactic or preachy. The device she chooses to use - of linking fifteen year old Paula's struggles with food to the struggles of her ancestor in early twentieth century Armenia - works beautifully, allowing both Paula and the reader to put these struggles into a context, whilst also broadening the issues raised.

A compelling read with characters that jump off the page. This young adult novel is sophisticated enough for the adult reader, and offers insight into issues facing contemporary teens as well as adults in today's world. The characters are vivid and believable, as are the relationships between them. The facts they uncover, the secrets they reveal, and the self-discoveries they experience give them a life of their own. Obviously well-researched, this novel draws astonishing parallels between a modern-day affliction and man's historical inhumanity to man. The story centers on Paula, a teen obsessed with perfection. A straight-A student, she throws herself into a history project while trying to attain the perfect body - and becomes bulimic and anorexic in the process. As her illness progresses, she has a brush with death and comes face to face with the horrors and privation of the Armenian massacres of 1915-23. The reader is pulled into Paula's world, and along the way learns about the mechanics and treatment of anorexia and bulimia, and the warning signs. Historical facts, like the obscure but chilling 1939 Hitler quote "Who today remembers the extermination of the Armenians?" add depth and relevance to Paula's quest for answers as she struggles with life...and death. A must read.

The Hunger makes thought-provoking reading for anyone, though it is aimed at young adults. Marsha Skrypuch deals intelligently and gracefully with sensitive issues, primarily anorexia and the massacres of Armenians during WW1. She effectively contrasts the self-imposed hunger of anorexia and the involuntary hunger of starvation in two teenagers separated by eighty years but linked by blood, Marta in 1915-18 Armenia and Paula in 1990s Canada. Skrypuch explores both girls' desperate situations realistically and without pulling punches. This book would be an especially suitable gift for a young person struggling to overcome an eating disorder or to deal with personal or family trauma. I recommend it highly.