"Girl in Pieces" is a book written about a depressed girl, Charlotte. She lives an awful life and the book begins at a midpoint in her life where she tried to commit suicide. It revolves around her story of recovery and despite the extremes of her circumstances, the emotions she expresses are relatable. The book was written based on Kathleen Glasgow's personal experiences.
To me, the book was relatable and accurate in its portrayal of what cutting and depression are like. She describes how Charlotte needs to have her kit together, even though she does not want to use, as a sort of safety blanket. That the overthinking of what people think about you, that the laughter is aimed at you even when it's not. That when you are depressed you just want someone to show you any sign of affection, even when that person doesn't really mean it.
That any little thing can set you off and make you crave the release of self-harm. I also liked at the beginning where they describe there's more than one kind of self-harm. One of my favorite lines from the book describes this as "...the best part was after...[telling myself] There, there." Explaining why what is appealing about this terrible act.
From there the book also describes her recovery and how truly hard the experience is. She goes for weeks without doing anything, but the want is always there. Eventually, they describe it as you just take it like five minutes at a time. Even if that feeling may be back in five minutes it's only another five minutes.
It also never says that Charlotte is cured of this desire. That she'll never do it again, but simply shows the reader's that there is a chance for a happy end. It's long and it's taking it slowly, you may mess up again, it's having support, and it's working for it. It's not just saying that this is too hard and going back but rather just doing your best to make it another five minutes.
Mental health is an issue that is growing everywhere, odds are you know someone struggling with some condition, and it helps to understand them. The medical books are too complicated. How to help books are great but they don't do anything if you don't understand the why.
The reason why I believe that everyone should read this is summed up best by Kathleen Glasgow herself, in her book she writes "People should know about us. Girls who write their pain on their bodies."
