Nothing by Robin Friedman

Nothing by Robin Friedman

Release Date: August 1, 2008
Publisher: Flux
Pages: 232

Parker has been the perfect student his whole life--straight "A's" since first grade, a resume full of community service, leadership positions in clubs, and a plethora of extracurricular activities. He's always felt the pressure to be "perfect" and to get into HYP (Harvard, Yale, and Princeton) from his father, who attended Princeton himself. Yet, despite his seemingly perfect image, Parker does not feel so perfect on the inside. He wonders how much of what he is doing actually holds any meaning for him, and eventually realizes that most of what he does is solely for his college application.

With the constant need and pressure to be absolutely perfect and doubts about who he really is beginning to surface, Parker's confidence begins to slip. He begins to see himself as 'fat' despite his thin physique (thanks in part to being on the track team) and begins to binge, then purge to comfort himself. Whenever he becomes disgusted or disappointed with himself, Parker gourges on junk food then immediately purges so he can feel thin. Hiding his shame, purging and insecurity behind mouthwash and breath mints, Parker thinks he can still hold onto his faultless image without anyone discovering his secret.

However, as time passes, he begins to lose weight, and his confidence also drains away. But with his family wanting to remain picture-perfect and with the crushing pressure around him, Parker feels trapped and does not know who to turn to. And if no one takes action soon, Parker may just waste away completely...

It was interesting to read about bulimia from a guys point of view. Although Nothing was interesting, it eventually got repetitive and the descriptions and sentences seemed extremely similar to previous, similar parts. The progression of the novel was still good and the switching viewpoints provided a nice look from the inside and outside perspective. The ending seemed a bit too perfect and easy for me, but I'm not unhappy it ended that way. I know I'm being rather vague, but I don't want to give too much away.