Story Rating 10.0 out of a possible 10.0

Book review by: Amber White age: 14 Review submitted on 01/02/2005 at 06:17:58 list all 60 reviews for this book

Illustrations Rating 0.0 out of a possible 10.0

Amber White writes the following about Cut :

Cut is set in modern day Sea Pines. The girls who are 'guests' there call it Sick Minds. The minds in which they are describing are, ironically, their own, because they are all there to help cure their 'issues.' "By the way, we are called guests. Our problems are called issues. Most of the girls are anorexic. They're called guests with food issues. Some are druggies. They're called substance-abuse issues. The rest, like me, are assorted psycos. We're called guests with behavioral issues." This quote, springing up from one of the very first pages of Cut, sets the mood for the whole book. The intense plotline will draw you in from the first pages, as will the mystery that is Callie, the main character, and her fellow issue ridden group members. The author brings such life to each person, that they seem as real and normal as any person you might meet on the street, forcing into the reader the astonishing thought that everyone has a story, an issue, something to tell. As Callie's story unrattle, you begin to find yourself drawn into the mystery that is her. She refuses to speak, but it is more of a insecurity issue than stubbornness. Her family is a twisted picture of confusion that makes one want to read the book at a frantic pace, to see if in the end it is all explained. But the wonderful thing about this book is that it's not explained completely- it lets you know about the dirty laundry of the world without overwellming you. It lets you figure out why these things happen for yourself. Cut inspirational, it allows you a look into a scarcely explored area and allows one to begin understanding why people induldge themselves in harmful activities. It's not just self-injury that is explored; also, anorexia, bulimia, and substance abuse take a bit of spotlight. Cut is extremely well written and draws you in so you feel yourself becoming the book. The struggle that Callie feels as she tries to overcome what she does, and even as she decides is she wants to overcome it, because your own struggle as you read. You don't have to be dealing with one of the issues mentioned in the book to connect with it. If you liked Cut, I would also recommend Speak, When She Hollars, and Crosses, which all deal with similar issues.

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