I am back with another review, today it is Kiss of Broken Glass by Madeleine Kuderick.
This is only my second time reading a novel that is written in verse, and both times they have been about serious issues.
Before I even start talking about this book, I just want to make a serious trigger known, as it is discussed in both the book and perhaps in my review, and that is cutting and self-harm. This book was extremely difficult for me to read, so please, if it will be a trigger for you, do not chance it.
The story is told over the course of 72 hours, all of which the main character, Kenna, spends in a psych ward. Upon arriving, she meets some people who are struggling like herself.
This story is a little bit different because not a lot happens. I think some people wouldn't enjoy it as much because there isn't really a plot line, it's just like we are getting a quick glimpse into Kenna's life and then leaving it. There isn't much backstory and by the time the book is over, you don't really know what Kenna is going to do. But I liked it for just this reason. The story was driven by Kenna's action of self-harm and that is all the story was about. There were hints of relationships within the ward, but Kenna wasn't there to make friends. I found it refreshing that the author focused so clearly on Kenna's struggle and didn't worry about appeasing the romantics.
Despite the fact that the story is written in verse, Kuderick is able to give quite a bit of information about why Kenna started cutting. I don't know if there are similar situations going on in reality; I've never known such groups to exist, but then again I wasn't looking for them. I went back and forth between heartbreak for Kenna and disgust at what these girls had turned into a game.
I think the author handled a difficult topic very well. In the author's note, she mentioned that she drew a lot of this book from her personal life with her daughter and you can really tell there is personal feeling attached to this book. Kuderick didn't just use the self-harm as a plot point in a romance, like so many other books I've seen. She made it the central issue and focused solely on it.
I think some people will dislike this book because of a lack of plot and the fact that it is short to the point where we don't really know the characters. But for me, I think the focus was spot on and we don't need to know the deep dark depths of the characters to feel for them.
Overall, I enjoyed this little book and would recommend it.