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Set in the mountainous outskirts of Asheville, North Carolina,
The Edge of Anything follows the start of an unexpected friendship between Sage and Len. Len is a loner photographer haunted by a guilty secret that prevents her from creating quality work, while Sage is a popular high school volleyball player desperate to find a way around her sudden medical disqualification. Both girls want to rediscover their lost talents and win scholarships to the colleges of their dreams, and a chance encounter between the two in their high school's parking lot sparks an unlikely friendship. Strengthened by the newfound power of their deep bond, the girls begin to face their inner demons and exit the shadow of the past. But when Len catches Sage endangering her health by practising volleyball for the upcoming YMCA championship, a fight erupts and threatens to unravel all the progress the girls have made.
Written by a successful author making her YA debut,
The Edge of Anything explores the transformative power of friendship and how it can help you find yourself and the goodness in life, even when everything feels broken.
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.
Summary
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.
Foreword
A powerful coming-of-age tale about adjusting to disability, overcoming adversity, and discovering the power of female friendship for fans of The Running Dream
