Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher

Sarah Byrnes has issues.  Her friend Eric also has issues.  Sarah was burned when she was a little girl leaving her with horrible scars.  Eric has emotional scars from his childhood of being a "fat kid".  Thrown together because of their "issues", Eric and Sarah are truly the best of friends.  After her mother up and leaves, Sarah lives with her father.  The novel begins with Eric visiting Sarah in a hospital where she is refusing to speak to anyone.  A swim team member, Eric works out on a daily basis, losing his extra weight.  Sarah on the other hand cannot lose her scars.  Eric, a journalist of the high school's underground newspaper, must uncover the truth behind Sarah's refusal to speak, why her father doesn't want her to speak, and the true reasons behind her mother's disappearance.  Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher not only highlights the friendship between these two characters, but also keeps the reader in suspense not knowing the turn of events at the novel.  This novel is young adult due to mature content and violence.