Tragedy can strike without notice. It’s in the news
every day. Bad things happen to good people—men, women, and children, and that
bothers me.
My young adult novel, Surviving Haley, is about Lauren Werthman, a teen who used to like
soccer, who used to play an instrument and have a best friend. But now she
turns to food for comfort and doesn’t do much of anything. Why? A tragedy. She
makes a mistake, one that results in her little sister Haley’s death. Lauren
can’t forgive herself, because if she’d been paying attention, Haley might
still be alive.
The book
isn’t about the accident, though. It’s about Lauren’s battle to fight her way
back to a normal life. After the accident, the family moves to a new state.
Lauren gains weight. She hides mini-candy bars in
her school bag. At home, she keeps a stash in an old flocked bunny bank where
her mother won’t find it, because Mom monitors everything Lauren eats. Food is
the only thing that lifts her mood, but the good feeling is short-lived. She eats
way too much in a short period of time and afterwards, she’s disgusted with
herself and even more depressed.
There are lots of novels about Anorexia and
Bulimia, but there’s another disorder known as B.E.D., or Binge Eating
Disorder. Overeating is normal from time to time. But Lauren’s eating becomes
out of control—she can’t stop even when she’s full.
Suffering
causes people to question their faith or even doubt the existence of God. Guilt
invades every aspect of Lauren’s life. The first day at her new school, she
meets a guy who’s wearing a shirt with a religious logo, and her initial
reaction is anger: If there’s a God, why didn’t He save her sister?
Who’s this book for? Readers who want to root for a
character trying to change, who believe everyone deserves a second chance. Can
Lauren ever be happy again? Could you?
