Never Enough

In her sophomore novel, Jaden (Losing Faith) offers an intimate and enlightened rendering of anorexia and bulimia. The story is told from the perspective of high school junior Loann, who lives in the shadow of her more beautiful and gifted older sister, Claire. Loann’s feelings of inadequacy and resentment are overtaken by fear when she discovers that her sister is going to extreme measures to remain thin (“It wasn’t just the skinny arms and legs.... Deeper, in her eyes, it was as though she’d lost something of who she used to be”). Loann’s horror intensifies when she realizes her parents are incapable of handling Claire’s eating disorder and finding a solution. While struggling to understand her sister, Loann is drawn to a boy at school with serious problems of his own. Loann’s fight against forces that might be beyond her control is both harrowing and inspiring. While Jaden does not provide simple answers for the problems presented, she dramatically illustrates the importance of speaking out and reaching out. Ages 14–up. Agent: Michelle Humphrey, Martha Kaplan Agency. (July)■