THE HEART IS NOT A SIZE

A young woman fears losing her best friend to anorexia even as she convinces her to join a volunteer work trip to Juarez, Mexico, in this tender but uneven novel. Georgia, terrified by the panic attacks she has begun to experience, sells her supportive family and her troubled friend, Riley, on the idea of the two-week trip. Soon after they arrive, though, Georgia is no longer able to continue downplaying her concern about Riley’s ever-shrinking body, which causes a deep rift between the two. Kephart employs a sparser, less adorned style of writing than in some of her earlier novels (such as Undercover, 2007), which suits this serious story fine. However, the deeply foreboding prologue sets a grim tone that is not borne out by the conclusion, making the novel feel somehow unbalanced. Georgia and Riley are strong characters, but many of the others seem less developed. Still, readers with an affinity for realistic tales of friendships will appreciate this story and recognize the honesty in both the girls’ struggle and their reluctance to address painful experiences. (Fiction. 12 & up)