Thin Girls

Clarke’s raw debut explores the ravages of eating disorders and extreme dieting on identical twins Rose and Lily. As the twins enter high school in the mid-2000s, Rose tries to fit in with a group of popular girls who pressure each other to commit to an apple-a-day regimen. Lily is ostracized from the group and turns to overeating while her sister starves herself. Rose, now 24, narrates from inside the walls of treatment center for eating disorders, detailing the twins’ lives leading up to that point in sections headed by year, age, and weight, and highlighting Rose’s growing insecurity in relation to her sister (“I was her stunt double.... People looked at me and saw almost-Lily”). After Rose is discharged and assigned to live with Lily for a probationary period, it’s Rose who feels the need to offer support: Lily is in a relationship with the husband of a lifestyle guru and subjecting herself to a diet consisting of zero-calorie bars, and her life seems to be falling apart despite her excitement over her weight loss. While Clarke’s prose slips occasionally into pedestrian observations, the sisters’ bond is strongly palpable. This page-turner makes for an illuminating, ultimately hopeful look at the constant struggle women face regarding their body image. Agent: Susan Golomb, Writers House. (June)