Review: Kiss of Broken Glass

Title: Kiss of Broken Glass
Author: Madeleine Kuderick
Release Date: Sept 9th

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.

I think your opinion of this book will be largely based on what you expected from it going in to reading it.  I had no expectation of what it was or what it wasn't, so that really affected what I thought of it.  I think you if you go into thinking it's going to be a full story about a young girl dealing deeply with her addiction to cutting, you'll be disappointed.  It's not that book.

This book is really taking a brief bit of time - 72 hour - and exploding it to look at how a young girl, Kenna in this book, can begin to question her choices.  And that's what happens.  Kenna is pulled out of the world that "allowed" her cutting and is now able to take a peek at it without all the distractions of friends and family.  And when I say peek that's what I mean.  It really is about her just beginning to glimpse the reality of her life and her choices.  It isn't about her struggling through the battle of facing that reality.  I liked that because it was a different perspective from what you normally see.  Usually it's the full-blown story of the battle and then finally the victory.  This is that, but it's realistic because it explodes that moment when the battle may now have a chance to start.

Also if you are looking for a book that give you all the answers and leaves you knowing it's going to be all ok - you won't like this book.  It's realistic because it doesn't lead you to believe that all will be well at the end after you leave Kenna.  There is no answers for Kenna. I liked it a lot because it allowed the reader to see the small thoughts that can begin to change someone.  That isn't something I'd seen in a book before.  

I will tell you - when I finished I didn't know if I really liked the book a ton.  I liked it, but it wasn't sure how much.  It's only been as time has passed that I realize how good it was.  Kenna's story has stuck with me in soft subtle ways that I completely appreciate.

Final thought - Impacts you beyond the "simpleness" of the story.  

PS about it being written in verse - that only added to story's ability to look at the small moments that are affecting Kenna during these 72 hours.  Had it not been written in verse it wouldn't have been as strong.