The Language of Goldfish

Would have been better if Oneal didn't shoehorn in Carrie's "cure" and closure. Some of the scenes are written beautifully, especially the ones during her "episodes", but the book starts going downhill the "better" she got, losing the charm it had during Carrie's worst moments.

Carrie's illness was never given a name, and it was all a bit too easily resolved - she decided that it was time she grew up (symbolised by getting a bra), and everything was going to be fine. But I am rather older than its target audience and I think teenagers would enjoy it more than I did.

It suffered rather in comparison with a novel on the same subject which I read as a teenager "I Never Promised You a Rose Garden" by Joanne Greenberg (aka Hannah Green), which goes much more deeply into metal illness and its affect on a teenager and her family.

Thirteen-year-old Carrie, clinging to memories of her idyllic early childhood, struggles to communicate with family and classmates.