Author: Patricia McCormick
Publisher: Front Street.,168 pages
Copyright: 2000
VOYA Review:
This extraordinary novel explores the psychological phenomenon of self-mutilation known as cutting. Written in first person, the book recounts the story of thirteen-year-old Callie, who has been placed in a residential treatment center. Although many patients have eating disorders, others, such as Callie, repeatedly cut their skin with sharp objects, creating physical scars, scabs, and sores that mirror the mental ones. The story unfolds through Callie's therapy sessions, her interactions with other residents, and her mental monologues. Mute by choice, Callie's silence is her sanity. Her younger brother Sam's severe asthma has altered the family dynamics and taken over their lives. Callie's coping mechanism is cutting. Although the road to recovery for any such patient is long and extensive, this book gives the reader just a glimpse into the psyche of one teenager who cuts. Realistic, sensitive, and heartfelt, this book explores the power of the human spirit as it struggles through mental illness. The well-developed characters, including the motherly, rock-solid secondary character of Ruby, one of the attendants, also reflect the author's strength as a writer. This brilliant novel is even more perceptive than Shelley Stoehr's Crosses (Delacorte, 1991/VOYA October 1991) and James Bennett's I Can Hear the Mourning Dove (Houghton Mifflin, 1990/VOYA October 1990). VOYA CODES: 5Q 4P M J (Hard to imagine it being any better written; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2000, Front Street, 168p. Ages 12 to 15. Reviewer: Mary Ann Capan VOYA, February 2001 (Vol. 23, No.6)
Review:
For a debut novel, Cut is an astounding problem novel about a teen's attempt to deal with blame by cutting herself. McCormick offers a glimpse inside the mind of a 15-year-old girl who cuts herself to relieve the burden of blame and insecurity at its worst. For Callie, life just became too complicated. The solution lay right in front of her. One tiny cut. A bubble of red. And yes, pain. The sweet escape. Callie would seem like a normal 15 year old girl but she has one problem. She doesn’t know how to express how she feels in words so she turns to cutting herself. Her mother sends her to Sea Pines Hospital to get help on her issues. In group therapy, she meets Becca, Tara, Debbie, Sydney and Tiffany. She never speaks or shares her story until a new girl, Amanda, joins their group.
Before Amanda enters the picture, Callie goes to group share time, hooks her sleeves over her thumbs, and hides behind her hair. She sees her counselor twice a day and counts the stripes on the wallpaper. But, Callie doesn't share. With anyone. Not even when her mother and little brother visit.
Cutting is a very real issue for teens. Many, like Callie, don't even know themselves why they do it. Cut is an honest look at how cutting can consume a young person. If you know someone who cuts, share this book with them. Let them know they can find help. They can stop. Cut is not only about cutting; it's also about girls who are anorexic, bulimic, and who compulsively eat. This is a good novel for teens who struggle with similar disorders or who simply want to sympathize with teens that do.
Reading Level: Beginner to intermediate
Notes about Audience: For mature readers, ages 14 and up.
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