Silence is Goldfish

8/10

'Silence is Goldfish' by Anabel Pitcher is a compelling novel.  Tess was always slightly insecure about her weight, and her friends, and pressure from he parents, but when she sees the hard, cruel blog post by her 'dad' about how he is revolted by her and could never love her, it pushes her over the edge. Before, she had tried to fit in and be normal, for her parents, so they could be proud, but then that all changes, and she becomes 'Pluto silent. Inaccessible' While this novel is primarily aimed at teenagers, it is suitable for older people too, and everybody can relate to something, whether it's the inability to have a child, the doubts and mistakes of being a parent, or the struggles through adolescence. A truly inspirational novel.
A character who I liked in the novel is Henry. He is honest, and brutally so. He tells people what he thinks of them, and of people and the world on general. Although his thoughts can often be dark and depressing, it is refreshing to hear his forthright honesty. H is ridiculously good looking and seems to be a complete insider, hanging out with all right people, but once you get to know him, you realise how different he is. You couldn't be much more of an outsider. It just remind you that nobody is really as they seem, and even the best of us alter ourselves to be like the rest of us, while in the meantime, every one else is altering themselves to be like us.