3.5 of 5 starsWhen Zoe's mother drops her off at Twin Birch, a small, treatment center nestled in rural Massachusetts, she has no idea why she's admitted to the facility's 6 week summer program. The only five others residents, all appear to be anorexic, but Zoe doesn't have an eating disorder. She spends her free time writing letters to her best friend Elise (no electronics allowed) and writing about her days at Twin Birch. As she waits for replies from Elise, engages in therapy, and befriends a few of the girls, she tries to determine how she ended up at Twin Birch. About 10% into ZOE LETTING GO, I began to question Zoe's release reliability as a narrator. Usually, I prefer books with narrators I can trust, so when I realized Zoe might not be presenting an objective view of her circumstances I wasn't sure if I'd enjoy the remainder of the story. Debut writer Nora Price did a masterful job of slowly revealing Zoe's unreliability, through the actions and words of those around her, as well as when Zoe's thoughts and actions don't align. As a character, Zoe was passive and and somewhat blah. She didn't have a strong or unique voice. While this may have been intentional, to mirror her depression, her lack of oomph made relating to her difficult. Twin Birch bore no resemblance to any actual treatment facility, in fact a program like the one in this novel would have never been allowed to operate in the USA due to licensing regulations. The pace was average, not a page turner, but the story also never dragged.ZOE LETTING GO is not a book about anorexia, even though some of the characters have eating disorders. It's a book about working hard to overcome sadness, depression and pain, without her best friend next to her in the process. I really enjoyed "Zoe Letting Go." I think that Nora Price has a unique voice, and this novel tackles a difficult topic: teenagers with eating disorders. I liked how Price described the strange world of a sort of "rehab" for eating disorders, how getting through meals is near torture. Our main character, Zoe, doesn't think she belongs there. She doesn't have troubles eating...although we are given breadcrumbs that maybe she used to have a disorder in the past...so Zoe doesn't understand why she is there. It turns out there is more to her story, and this is where I feel Price lets the readers down a bit. Her "big twist" at the end is shocking, but it could have been much deeper and explained in a more dramatic way. Zoe's main reason for being in treatment is pretty much just glossed over in a few pages. I think there is a whole other story that could have sprouted from there. A very good first novel from Price, and I look forward to reading more from her in the future.
What do You think about Zoe Letting Go (2012)?
GReat writing, a little boring. You can get through it. Not a MUST read, a SHOULD read.
—hottie
chosen as a book club book but I really liked it. The food sounded decent to me too!
—tumaronghazel
Enjoyed most of the book, but found the end disappointing.
—Rahul
