Published: March 3rd 2015 by Simon Pulse
Source: Local Library
Format: Hardcover
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Mental Health, LGBTQ+
Synopsis: Etta is tired of dealing with all of the labels and categories that seem so important to everyone else in her small Nebraska hometown.
Everywhere she turns, someone feels she’s too fringe for the fringe. Not gay enough for the Dykes, her ex-clique, thanks to a recent relationship with a boy; not tiny and white enough for ballet, her first passion; and not sick enough to look anorexic (partially thanks to recovery). Etta doesn’t fit anywhere— until she meets Bianca, the straight, white, Christian, and seriously sick girl in Etta’s therapy group. Both girls are auditioning for Brentwood, a prestigious New York theater academy that is so not Nebraska. Bianca seems like Etta’s salvation, but how can Etta be saved by a girl who needs saving herself?
The latest powerful, original novel from Hannah Moskowitz is the story about living in and outside communities and stereotypes, and defining your own identity.
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Spoiler Free Review:
In general, I haven’t read many books focusing on eating disorders, but this book on its own is a unique mental health story. It’s always important to have stories with people seeking out therapy and to shine a positive light on therapy, but also ones where they are in recovery but it doesn’t erase the existence of their mental illness. Not Otherwise Specified was able to cover this theme along with many more.
The story mostly revolves around Etta and her newly found friends, specifically Bianca an anorexic girl at her group therapy. If you read the synopsis, you would know Bianca is 14 and Etta is 17 and it did seem like their was going to be a romance between the two. From the start, it was blatantly obvious the maturity level between the two and the idea of the two being together made me really uncomfortable. If you’re worried, just know they don’t have any romantic or sexual feelings for each other. The dynamic between them was very interesting though. It felt sisterly but at times something a lot more intense. I’m not going to spoil anything but just know Bianca and Etta definitely had the sweetest and most intriguing dynamic.
I cant speak on the bisexual representation but it is own voices so the author is clearly speaking from experience. The biphobia was spot on though. The ones being biphobic weren’t all straight, but the bullying and prejudice was just as worse. Bisexuality in general is always stigmatized and misunderstood and there was quite a bit of slut shaming, a harmful bisexual stereotype. The story isn’t romance heavy and focuses more on the friendships Etta has. I really appreciate the inclusion of the toxic friendship and friend group Etta was in. I feel like unhealthy relationships always pertain to romantic or sexual relationships when it is possible in a friendship.
Etta as a character did differ from most YA protagonists in a few ways. I saw her as more of an ambivert which is pretty rare to find in literature. As an extreme introvert, I love relating to introverts in books but it was nice to see someone who wasn’t overtly extroverted but didn’t have a hard time approaching people (one of my biggest struggles). Etta easily befriended Bianca and her friends and she fit so easily with them. I feel that especially in mental health novels, the main character is always shy and introverted which can definitely be the case but it was nice to see a more sociable protagonist.
As far as I’ve seen and read, most protagonists with eating disorders are confined to skinny white girls with anorexia. I’m not trying to undermine a persons’ experience with mental illness, but I loved that Etta wasn’t skinny and had to quit ballet because of her weight. There was discussion on the dance institutions being discriminatory towards different body types which is always important. Etta is already in recovery from her eating disorder. Her eating disorder never seems to overtake her character but was still a constant. It was nice to perspective to see there’s always the days where you relapse, where your mental illness hits you right back in the face which is what is shown in this book.
Overall, Not Otherwise Specified was able to give broader perspective on mental health, eating disorder recovery but also on bisexuality and friendship. I did feel that the ending was little rushed and abrupt but it still remained a unique story. Stories with characters like Etta are just as important and necessary in mental health novels and hopefully there will be more like Not Otherwise Specified.
Rating: 4/5
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