Never Enough

May 28, 2012
In her sophomore novel, Jaden (Losing Faith) offers an intimate and enlightened rendering of anorexia and bulimia. The story is told from the perspective of high school junior Loann, who lives in the shadow of her more beautiful and gifted older sister, Claire. Loann’s feelings of inadequacy and resentment are overtaken by fear when she discovers that her sister is going to extreme measures to remain thin (“It wasn’t just the skinny arms and legs.... Deeper, in her eyes, it was as though she’d lost something of who she used to be”). Loann’s horror intensifies when she realizes her parents are incapable of handling Claire’s eating disorder and finding a solution. While struggling to understand her sister, Loann is drawn to a boy at school with serious problems of his own. Loann’s fight against forces that might be beyond her control is both harrowing and inspiring. While Jaden does not provide simple answers for the problems presented, she dramatically illustrates the importance of speaking out and reaching out. Ages 14–up. Agent: Michelle Humphrey, Martha Kaplan Agency. (July)■

September 1, 2012

Gr 9 Up-High school junior Loann is used to being overshadowed by her beautiful and popular older sister, Claire, to the point that she ruefully accepts that even teachers will find her forgettable. Once she befriends Marcus, a fellow loner, she begins to come into her own. But even as she cultivates an interest in photography and set design, finds a job at a cafe, and tries to figure out where she and Marcus stand with one another, her envy and awe of Claire persist. This is where readers will lose patience with Loann, as her drawn-out insecurity leads to some horrible decisions like allowing herself to be seduced by Claire's ex-boyfriend and shrugging off the obvious signs that her sibling leads a very troubled life. Bullying, mean girls, eating disorders, barely there parents, and domestic/child abuse are also added to the mix-plot elements that find shaky support from the awkward pacing and shallow character development.-Joanna K. Fabicon, Los Angeles Public Library

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