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New in at Charlie Byrne’s and sky-rocketing into our 16 Books to Read Before You’re 16 list is Claire Hennessy’s fantastic latest novel Nothing Tastes as Good.
Don’t call her a guardian angel. Annabel is dead – but she hasn’t completely gone away. Annabel immediately understands why her first assignment as a ghostly helper is to her old classmate: Julia is fat. And being fat makes you unhappy. Simple, right?
As Annabel shadows Julia’s life in the pressured final year of school, Julia gradually lets Annabel’s voice in, guiding her thoughts towards her body, food and control.
But nothing is as simple as it first seems. Spending time in Julia’s head seems to be having its own effect on Annabel… And she knows that once the voices take hold, it’s hard to ignore them.
Coming highly recommended from our children’s section manager Ruth, this is a fantastic book with an unusual perspective on eating disorders. Hennessy focuses on both over and under eating while linking mental health and self-esteem through the unique medium (see what I did there?!) of Annabel as a spiritual guide. Hennessy manages to take on all of these big issues, as well as some fantastic observations on feminism and sexism, but allows the story room to breathe and truly grab you by the heart. Fusing reality with a supernatural element, this is so much more than an ‘issues’ book – this is a Young Adult novel that really packs a punch.
Nothing Tastes as Good is available in store for €9.80. For more information, or to reserve a copy, simply contact us.
Check out Claire Hennessy’s blog here.
