The Edge of Anything - by Nora Shalaway Carpenter (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2020
One of A Mighty Girl's Best Books of the Year
​A Bank Street Best Books 2021
Finalist for the Cybils Awards

Len is a loner teen photographer haunted by a past that's stagnated her work and left her terrified she's losing her mind. Sage is a high school volleyball star desperate to find a way around her sudden medical disqualification. Both girls need college scholarships. After a chance encounter, the two develop an unlikely friendship that enables them to begin facing their inner demons.

But both Len and Sage are keeping secrets that, left hidden, could cost them everything, maybe even their lives.

Set in the North Carolina mountains, this dynamic #ownvoices novel explores grief, mental health, and the transformative power of friendship.

Review Quotes

"The Edge of Anything is a gorgeously imagined, tender, irresistible examination of shame and the secrets we keep even from ourselves, but more than that, it is a reminder that vulnerability and truth telling are the best paths to healing and triumph. I can't wait for the world to meet Sage and Len!"

--Estelle Laure, author of This Raging

"A heartfelt, poignant, and candid story about the power-and danger-of magical thinking, and the grounding strength of good friends."

--Alan Gratz, New York Times bestselling author of Refugee

"An unforgettable story about the power of friendship."--Martha Brockenbrough, author of The Game of Love and Death

"Carpenter's debut is written with a sure hand; her descriptions of anxiety and OCD are spot-on. Hand to fans of John Green immediately."--Booklist

"Equal parts humorous and heartwrenching. . . . A powerful, tender reminder of the importance of friendship in times of trauma."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"The link between the two units is advocacy, for it is of vital importance to have an advocate in life, whether this person be a family member or friend. This is a dynamic story about the power of friendship and the resilience of the human spirit."--School Library Connection

"This evenly paced book shines a light on the power of friendship and a true friend's ability to hear a cry for help no matter how quiet.... For readers who enjoy realistic, emotional journeys such as John Corey Whaley's books or Nina LaCour's We Are Okay."--School Library Journal

About the Author

A graduate of Vermont College of Fine Art's MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults program, Nora Shalaway Carpenter is the author of the forthcoming YA contemporary novel, The Edge of Anything (Running Press, April 7, 2020), editor and contributing author of the forthcoming YA anthology Rural Voices (Candlewick, Fall 2020), and author of the picture book Yoga Frog (Running Press, out now). Before she wrote books, Nora worked as associate editor of Wonderful West Virginia magazine and has been a Certified Yoga Teacher since 2012. Originally from rural West Virginia, she currently lives in Asheville, North Carolina with her husband, three young children, and the world's most patient dog and cat.