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Published on Aug 28, 2012 | 224 Pages
Sethie Weiss is hungry, a mean, angry kind of hunger that feels like a piece of glass in her belly. She’s managed to get down to 111 pounds and knows that with a little more hard work—a few more meals skipped, a few more snacks vomited away—she can force the number on the scale even lower. She will work on her body the same way she worked to get her perfect grades, to finish her college applications early, to get her first kiss from Shaw, the boy she loves, the boy who isn’t quite her boyfriend.
Sethie will not allow herself one slip, not one bad day, not one break in concentration. Her body is there for her to work on when everything and everyone else—her best friend, her schoolwork, and Shaw—are gone.
From critically acclaimed writer Alyssa B. Sheinmel comes an unflinching and unparalleled portrayal of one girl’s withdrawal, until she is sinking like a stone into her own illness, her own loneliness—her own self.
Author
Alyssa Sheinmel
The Lucky Kind is my second novel. After Random House bought my first novel, The Beautiful Between, I was thrilled – but there was also a voice in the back of my head, asking “Can you do it again?” I tried to ignore the voice and just finish working on The Beautiful Between. But the voice was persistent; it wouldn’t shut up. I’m sure plenty of authors hear this voice. I’m sure it’s not exclusive to authors; after every good grade, don’t you sometimes hear a voice in your head asking if you’re also going to ace the next test? (I certainly did when I was in school.)But I don’t mind the voice. It stayed with me, encouraging me to write The Lucky Kind. It reminded me, when I felt like the story wasn’t going anywhere, that I’d had those same doubts when I wrote The Beautiful Between. It got me sitting in front of the computer on Saturday mornings when I really wanted to stay in bed and watch silly movies. The voice may have been nagging, but it was also a constant source of encouragement.I’m a big fan of listening to the voices in your head. After all, it was a voice in my head that became Nick’s voice, the narrator of The Lucky Kind, and I couldn’t have written the book without it.
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