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According to a study by the University of Bath, eleven percent of adolescent girls and three percent of adolescent boys in Britain self-harm. About two-thirds of them cut. Isn't that shocking? Doesn't it make you want to weep? And you'll weep for Willow, so consumed with grief and guilt the only way to block it out lies in mutilating herself. Hoban doesn't duck the horror - there are some shocking scenes written into ''Willow'', but they are tremendously honest and revealing. For many cutters, the act is a beautiful thing. It's certainly addictive. It's often a response to transient distress, but the addiction turns it into something even more frightening. Willow thinks about cutting constantly, and her stress thresholds are getting lower. It doesn't take much to set her off.
But ''Willow'' isn't just about self-harm. It's also about first love, and the redemptive power of love generally. When Guy happens along, Willow is presented with a way out. The question is can she trust enough to take it. The love affair is beautifully told, with great observation of all the worries and insecurities adolescents - self-harming or not - bring to any relationship. It's about secrets too - and how destructive they can be. Willow is convinced that her brother blames her for her parents' death, but of course , he has grief of his own, and it isn't directed at his sister. As she learns to trust Guy, Willow finds she is also able to trust her brother, and to begin to open those healing lines of communication.
It's a painful subject, but ''Willow'' is skilfully told. The essential and uplifting message, is that not every problem can be solved, but there is no bad situation that cannot be improved. Recommended.
My thanks to the nice people at Dial for sending the book.
[[From Where I Stand by Tabitha Suzuma]] is a psychological thriller that has, unusually, a male protagonist who self-harms. [[Sara's Face by Melvin Burgess]] has self-harm meeting cosmetic surgery addiction in a dystopian and shocking exploration of our attitudes to identity. Adults might enjoy [[Come to Me Quietly by A L Jackson]].
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