Vrettos, Adrienne Maria

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Vrettos, Adrienne Maria

Personal

Born in MA; married.

Addresses

Home—Brooklyn, NY. E-mail—amv@adriennemariavrettos.com.

Career

Writer.

Writings

Skin (young-adult novel), Margaret K. McElderry Books (New York, NY), 2006.

Sight (young-adult novel), Margaret K. McElderry Books (New York, NY), 2007.

Sidelights

Adrienne Maria Vrettos focuses on the pain of anorexia in her young-adult novel Skin. A Kirkus Reviews contributor described it as "a marvelous debut featuring an unforgettable character." The story begins with fourteen-year-old Donnie trying to revive his sixteen-year-old sister, Karen, who has starved herself to death. The rest of the novel reflects on the past and recounts the events that led to the tragedy from the viewpoint of the sibling whose life was so affected. Donnie's parents do not get along, and he finds himself in the background as more of their attention focuses on their daughter's problems. He fakes a relationship with Karen's friend, Amanda, creating friction in his relationship with his sister even as he puts protein powder in her food to add nutrition to her diet. As Karen nears death, she encourages her brother to seek new friends, which he does.

"Karen's struggle with her disease, and Donnie's own feeling of invisibility come across as piercingly authentic," wrote a Publishers Weekly contributor. In a review of Skin for Booklist, Jennifer Mattson commented that this "honest perspective will be welcomed by boys—so often the terrified bystanders in anorexia battles."