IA Reads

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Nothing by Robin Friedman is a poetic novel written through the eyes of an overachieving senior named Parker Rabinowitz and his younger sister Danielle. Parker embodies everything a senior at his east-coast, high-achieving high school could want. He is smart, attractive, wealthy, president of every club and number one in his class. Applying to the standard HYP (Harvard, Yale and Princeton) Parker seems to be the perfect kid with a bright future. Not even his sister, a freshman invisible behind the mammoth legacy of her older brother, can see the true problems of “perfection” that her brother faces. Pushed by his overachieving father, who sees anything short of absolute success as a failure, and his intense college counselor, Parker has pushed himself to the limit to please and satisfy everyone around him. Yet his perfectly structured life is falling apart. Parker is bulimic, and as the pressures of his life increase, so does his disease, until only his sister can save him. Written alternatively in verse and following-consciousness, this novel is a quick read with a suspenseful and well-written storyline. Friedman addresses the uncommon, often overlooked disease of male bulimia, something that often goes undiagnosed as a disease exclusive to women. As a senior in a high-achieving high school who is applying to competitive colleges, I can understand the pressures the main character faces. It is interesting to read about someone who is at the same point in their life as me, while also educating me on a serious problem. The main IB learner profile that Parker did not have was balance, as he overworked and over-pressured himself, creating an intensely scheduled life that left no room for relaxation or failure. He could not be a risk-taker.

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balance, bulimia, senior