CUT by Patricia McCormick is a short story about a 13 year old girl named Callie, who ends up in a facility after she ends up running all the way home from her track meet and then cuts herself with her Mother’s Exacto knife. The facility is called Sea Pines, which the girls aptly name Sick Minds. All of the girls are there, because of their different “issues”. Sydney, Callie’s roommate as well as Tiffany have “substance issues”. Sydney has nicknames for everything including Callie. She calls her S. T. for Silent Treatment. Callie does not actually talk until page 51. Although throughout the book she is talking to her therapist that she refers to as “you”, so in a way we as readers are her therapist. The other girls have their own issues. Tara, Becca and Debbie have “food issues”. Tara and Becca are anorexic and Debbie is really overweight. Then there is the “new girl” Amanda who is a ‘cutter’ and has “behavioral issues” like Callie. Amanda and Callie have a strange relationship. They understand each to a certain extent; however Callie doesn’t understand Amanda’s crassness. There are events that happen that change things within the group of girls that are in the same Group (all the girls mentioned). The staff of Sick Minds all play their own part in Callie’s health, some more than others. A nurse named Ruby and her therapist (us) are key to Callie’s progress. Callie’s family, which includes her Mom, Dad and her 8 year old brother Sam enter the story on the first visiting day of her stay at Sick Minds. As with all the girls, their families play a pivotal role in their stories, especially Callie’s. Callie is pretty clear about the way she feels when she starts to feel like she needs to cut herself as well as how she feels after. Callie’s journey continues without any finality. It is left to our imagination. I think that CUT is a good book for people who do not understand why people cut themselves. One of my student’s gave me the book to read. She admitted to me that she used to cut herself and thought I should read the book. Knowing her, I can see why she would relate to it. I however didn’t like that there was no real ending to it, or maybe that was the point. The book was an easy read and not something I would typically be drawn to. I took the opportunity to read it for my student and to expand my genre choices. The book was interesting to me, but I would have liked more finality. It seemed like one of those movies that just ends and you are not sure what was going to happen next. It leaves you wanting to know more, but not like a series where you have immersed yourself in a whole different world and all the characters. The writing style was a little different, because Callie does not talk but you hear what she is thinking. She also refers to her therapist as “you”. You get used to it pretty quickly, it is just different. I would recommend the book as a quick read or for someone who is curious about why people CUT themselves.
The staff of Sick Minds all play their own part in Callie’s health, some more than others. A nurse named Ruby and her therapist (us) are key to Callie’s progress. Callie’s family, which includes her Mom, Dad and her 8 year old brother Sam enter the story on the first visiting day of her stay at Sick Minds. As with all the girls, their families play a pivotal role in their stories, especially Callie’s. Callie is pretty clear about the way she feels when she starts to feel like she needs to cut herself as well as how she feels after. Callie’s journey continues without any finality. It is left to our imagination.
I think that CUT is a good book for people who do not understand why people cut themselves. One of my student’s gave me the book to read. She admitted to me that she used to cut herself and thought I should read the book. Knowing her, I can see why she would relate to it. I however didn’t like that there was no real ending to it, or maybe that was the point. The book was an easy read and not something I would typically be drawn to. I took the opportunity to read it for my student and to expand my genre choices. The book was interesting to me, but I would have liked more finality. It seemed like one of those movies that just ends and you are not sure what was going to happen next. It leaves you wanting to know more, but not like a series where you have immersed yourself in a whole different world and all the characters. The writing style was a little different, because Callie does not talk but you hear what she is thinking. She also refers to her therapist as “you”. You get used to it pretty quickly, it is just different. I would recommend the book as a quick read or for someone who is curious about why people CUT themselves.