Girl in Pieces Review

Hello everyone, my name is Fatin. Oh no, not Fatin Afeefa, the actress- but Fatin Allya.
I’m
no celebrity, but a humble Form 4 student from SMK Bintulu. I have been laying low in my
secondary school, but in primary school, oh boy, I was FAMOUS. I used to travel a lot for
mostly public speaking competitions, I find it suits me very well. My voice can go high, and
my face can express feelings well. My highest achievement so far was receiving a bronze
medal in the 2nd International English in Camp in 2018. One day, I aspire to be a trusted
doctor and a loved author. And now, ladies and gentlemen, I will indulge you in the reality of
today, and pull you into the world of words and feelings. And from this starting point, please
remember that you are loved, and that your feelings are valid!
As you all may or may not know, teenagers today grew up in a very rough childhood. Even
though it might not even seem so, you can never tell someone’s story just from a glance or
two. This worldwide issue is starting to sprout worry from adults, so how do teenagers deal
with all their burdensome issues that are often foreseen and forsaken? In the category of 150
– Psychology, the 420 pages that had well described this phenomenally arduous journey is the
book called “Girl in Pieces”. A fictional piece by Kathleen Glasgow that was originally
published in 2016 by Oneworld Publications, a deeply moving portrait of a girl in a world
that owes her nothing, yet had taken so much, and her journey back form the edge.
How did I manage to hear about this book? Well, every time I encounter this title in any
social media app, it would always be followed by comments saying “I relate with some of the
characters so much” or “I cried reading this…” or something of sorts. Afterall, I am a huge
fan of angst and relatable tales, and I also read somewhere that it covers the sensitive topic of
suicide, mental illnesses in general, abuse and a few more, so I just had to get the book itself.
The story opened with Charlotte, or Charlie Davis, who regained consciousness after an
attempted suicide. After said attempted suicide, Charlie was then placed in Creeley Center, a
group home for girls who self-harms. Basically, a psychiatric hospital. There, she was
diagnosed with non-suicidal self-injury, post-traumatic stress disorder and impulse control
disorder. She was also diagnosed with selective mutism. Her physical and emotional trauma
weigh so heavily on her that she cannot speak, can you imagine being in that place? Can you
imagine losing your father to suicide, and having a mom who hurts you daily? Gosh, must be
so painful… But being at Creeley felt safe to Charlie, and after a week of individual and
group therapy, she began to make some progress by using her art and her voice to
GRADUALLY express herself. The progress was cut short, however, when she was
discharged due to lack of insurance. What an unfortunate turn of event. But since Charlie was
a minor, she was handed back to Misty Davis, her mother. At home, her mother did not lay a
hand on her, but apologized, handed a bus ticket and some money instead. Perhaps, this was
her way of saying “I’m sorry for treating you like an animal, so I’m kicking you out of my
own house so I don’t hurt you anymore”.
Charlie started a new life in Tucson, Arizona. A new but rusty and ugly start. Of course, who
wants to start a new life with being homeless? So much happened after that, but you’ll have
to go and read by yourself. At the end, this book took a toll on me. It made me pause and just
think: Why is this fictional girl living in a non-fictional world? And why is she relatable in
both good and bad manner? This novel explores a teen’s recovery from self-harm, explores
the roles of community, healthy patterns, and acceptance of dualities. Honestly, my
experience in reading Girl in Pieces was just breathtaking. And my friends can vouch for
having the same statement, some of them have read it and found Charlie Davis or other
characters in the novel somewhat relatable. And this proves that or society is not excluded
from the struggles of mental suffering, and is a victim of it. It is not pretty, and it is very
tiring. And this piece had described it very well.
Kathleen did a very good job authoring this piece. She made many hearts feel heard, that they
are not alone in this, and that they will get better eventually. Like I said, as someone who
finds Charlie Davis relatable, it is very important for adults to understand how we get treated,
especially since out country normalizes child abuse, such as rotan, pinch and hits. Your
parents may have hit you, and you did the same to your kids. But we may act very differently
than you, and show different results. We are NOT you. We are NOT our parents. We may not
find comfort in out parents, so as an act of desperation, we would find comfort in addictions
and unhealthy coping mechanisms.
From my and many readers’ experiences, this novel accurately represents the state in which
teenagers are in, in this generation. It is honestly so unfair, why do we become like this right
after we were pampered as a child? It is so unfair and cruel. But that is just how the world is,
and it is our jobs to have each other’s backs. You take care of yourself, and take care of the
people around you, and we will get through this together. Why do souls made of glass always
get treated badly by hammers and drills? Open your eyes, comfort your children how you
want to be comforted, before it is too late.
You matter, your children matter, so treat yourself and us, the younger generations, like we do
matter. This message is embedded with my hope of realizing the reality of this modern world.
And I pray, that you, ladies and gentlemen, take my words to heard, and think and imagine
what is happening, and what would happen if we continue in a better path. Together, we can
definitely heal our friends and family. That is all from me, my name is Fatin Allya and I hope
you have a terrific day.

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Hello everyone, my name is Fatin. Oh no, not Fatin Afeefa, the actress- but Fatin Allya.

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