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A review by outsmartyourshelf
The Sharp Edge of Silence by Cameron Kelly Rosenblum
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
At Lycroft Phelps the male rowing team are the undoubted stars & great things are expected from them this year, so there is a bit of scramble when the cox from the first team boat is suspended. A surprising choice is Max, a scholarship science geek who never dreamt that he could get a chance to be "one of the popular boys" & date the girl he has admired from afar. Meanwhile Charlotte is trying to balance being a straight-A student, a successful ballet dancer, and girlfriend of the star rower, Seb. He is handsome & charming & this leads to Charlotte tamping down her anxiety over their relationship & his, at times, questionable behaviour. Finally Quinn, a legacy student, finds herself consumed with thoughts of revenge for something which happened the previous year.
The reader hears the story from the three narrators: Charlotte, Max, & Quinn (Q) & their stories start off as separate but gradually the events in each start to intersect with each other. This book deals with some weighty subjects & has a trigger warning in the synopsis for sexual violence but there is also the aftermath of dealing with this, plus also toxic masculinity & virulent misogyny from some of the characters. It shows how easy it can be for people who think of themselves as the "good guys" to become caught up in a group setting & let things slide that should be called out. I thought it was well-written, & the characters were all well-rounded out, none of them were one-dimensional, even the "bad guys" were shown to be human, & that is the entire point. Atrocious acts are not committed by monsters, they are committed by people like everyone else, they just feel entitled or able to get away with it, & we see here what it takes to finally take a stand against a culture that in many cases protects the wrongdoers.
My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Bonnier Books UK/Hot Key Books, for the opportunity to read an ARC. I am voluntarily giving an honest review.
The reader hears the story from the three narrators: Charlotte, Max, & Quinn (Q) & their stories start off as separate but gradually the events in each start to intersect with each other. This book deals with some weighty subjects & has a trigger warning in the synopsis for sexual violence but there is also the aftermath of dealing with this, plus also toxic masculinity & virulent misogyny from some of the characters. It shows how easy it can be for people who think of themselves as the "good guys" to become caught up in a group setting & let things slide that should be called out. I thought it was well-written, & the characters were all well-rounded out, none of them were one-dimensional, even the "bad guys" were shown to be human, & that is the entire point. Atrocious acts are not committed by monsters, they are committed by people like everyone else, they just feel entitled or able to get away with it, & we see here what it takes to finally take a stand against a culture that in many cases protects the wrongdoers.
My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Bonnier Books UK/Hot Key Books, for the opportunity to read an ARC. I am voluntarily giving an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Misogyny