Kiss of Broken Glass
Publication: 9th September 2014
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 224
Genre: Contemporary
Age Appropriate: Young Adult
Buy It: Amazon + Barnes & Noble
Madeleine Kuderick’s gripping debut is a darkly beautiful and lyrical novel in verse, perfect for fans of Sonya Sones and Laurie Halse Anderson. Kiss of Broken Glass pulses with emotion and lingers long after the last page.
In the next seventy-two hours, Kenna may lose everything—her friends, her freedom, and maybe even herself. One kiss of the blade was all it took to get her sent to the psych ward for seventy-two hours. There she will face her addiction to cutting, though the outcome is far from certain.
When fifteen-year-old Kenna is found cutting herself in the school bathroom, she is sent to a facility for mandatory psychiatric watch. There, Kenna meets other kids like her—her roommate, Donya, who’s there for her fifth time; the birdlike Skylar; and Jag, a boy cute enough to make her forget her problems . . . for a moment.
In the next seventy-two hours, Kenna may lose everything—her friends, her freedom, and maybe even herself. One kiss of the blade was all it took to get her sent to the psych ward for seventy-two hours. There she will face her addiction to cutting, though the outcome is far from certain.
When fifteen-year-old Kenna is found cutting herself in the school bathroom, she is sent to a facility for mandatory psychiatric watch. There, Kenna meets other kids like her—her roommate, Donya, who’s there for her fifth time; the birdlike Skylar; and Jag, a boy cute enough to make her forget her problems . . . for a moment.
My Thoughts.
Kiss Of Broken Glass is a contemporary story based around fifteen year old Kenna's 72 hour lockdown in a psychiatric ward after she is caught cutting herself with the blade of a pencil sharpener at school, what started as something to fit in with the group of girls she hangs out with who also cut themselves, she becomes addicted, we get to see her struggles almost like withdrawal symptoms whilst locked away.We get to meet some interesting fellow patients in Donya, Skylar and Jag, and learn about their reasons for being admitted.
Written in verse as a diary of her time in there and through Madeleine's writing you almost feel like you're there with Kenna, as she comes to the conclusion that what she does isn't normal and that she needs help, although the book finishes once she leaves the psych ward after the 72 hours are up we get the sense that she wants to stop cutting and maybe just maybe she's on the road to recovery.
Cutting is a serious problem of youth and even adults around the world today, I don't read a lot of realistic fiction but this brings home just how unhappy people can be and just what they'll do to make themselves feel better even if it's only for the amount of time it takes to cut themselves and draw blood.
This is my very first book I've read in verse and it won't be my last, I flew through this story, both interesting and informative I look forward to Madeleine's next book, her writing is enjoyable and I was intrigued the whole way through.
I give this 4/5 stars.
Who I Am
I grew up in Oak Park, a suburb of Chicago, and loved every pulsing beat of the place except for the snow which fell like 11 months a year. Now I live on Florida’s Gulf Coast where shoes and coats are optional. Along the way, I’ve picked up jobs and training and college degrees. But none of them had a single thing to do with writing.
Which just goes to show –
Which just goes to show –
You don’t always get where you’re meant to be by following a straight path.
Sometimes it’s kind of crooked.
And full of potholes.
What I Write
Contemporary YA fiction. Which means –
no wizards, no vampires, no post-apocalyptic worlds.
Because real life is nuclear enough…
I like writing about underdogs. Even the ones who snarl and don’t want to be rescued. Because let’s face it, underdogs are a lot more interesting than those fluffy pedigrees with pom poms and perfect teeth.
