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Sharp Edges
Six friends attend a music festival in the Cederberg. Only five come back. For her seventeenth birthday Demi Crowley invites her five closest friends to join her at a music festival for a party to end all parties. But what was supposed to be the night of their lives soon becomes a nightmare none of them will ever forget.
Sharp Edges is a topsy-turvy tale of love, loss and friendship that will stay with you long after the final page has been turned, and leaves you questioning what you really know about your friends.
Sharp Edges is S.A. Partridge’s fourth novel for young adults.
Sharp Edges is a topsy-turvy tale of love, loss and friendship that will stay with you long after the final page has been turned, and leaves you questioning what you really know about your friends.
Sharp Edges is S.A. Partridge’s fourth novel for young adults.
- GenresYoung Adult
192 pages, Paperback
First published August 25, 2013
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53 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 15, 2014
In brief: S.A. Partridge understands totally what goes on in a teenager's head. After reading this I'm painfully reminded of what it was like for me when I was 17.
FULL REVIEW...
SA Partridge has done it again – she has tapped into the spirit of youth culture and unravelled the lives of six young people. We start the novel knowing the worst has happened – Demi is dead, tragically drowned on her 17th birthday while she was attending an outdoor music festival. But then things become murky as we work our way backwards to that fatal night.
Who is guilty? What really happened that night? Have all five inadvertently contributed in some way to Demi’s demise?
These questions linger all the way through to the end. We all knew girls like Demi when we were still at school. They were the beautiful, bright ones who lived as if there were no consequences at all to their actions.
Girls like Demi draw others to them, and it’s apt to use the moths-to-a-flame analogy here, with all the damage from close contact implied.
We are introduced to Ashley, Damian, Verushka – or V as she prefers to be known – Siya and James. All are brittle with – as the title implies – sharp edges, and are as much defined by their dysfunctional relationships with those around them as they are self-absorbed.
Ashley is the odd one out, always trying and, in her mind, failing to fit in. Her crushingly low self-image means that she struggles to participate. V and James spiral around each other in a peculiar stilted relationship. It’s clear they are deeply fascinated by one another yet neither is willing to take that first step. Siya battles to live up to his father’s expectations, as much as he tries to express himself sexually. Damian is hopelessly and unutterably infatuated with Demi – so much so that he falls apart completely when she dies.
What makes this story so specifically poignant is the fact that Partridge sketches out characters that will resonate with people for different reasons. And she cuts close to the bone with her observations.
We see our younger selves in the broken facets, and the image reflected to us isn’t always nice or particularly comfortable. Dark, gritty and scratchy behind the eyes, Sharp Edges offers a glimpse into how casual cruelties can offer tragic, unintended consequences, which can ripple outward with devastating effect.
The novel will haunt you for a long time after you’re done reading, and Partridge masterfully holds you in suspense all the way to the last page.
FULL REVIEW...
SA Partridge has done it again – she has tapped into the spirit of youth culture and unravelled the lives of six young people. We start the novel knowing the worst has happened – Demi is dead, tragically drowned on her 17th birthday while she was attending an outdoor music festival. But then things become murky as we work our way backwards to that fatal night.
Who is guilty? What really happened that night? Have all five inadvertently contributed in some way to Demi’s demise?
These questions linger all the way through to the end. We all knew girls like Demi when we were still at school. They were the beautiful, bright ones who lived as if there were no consequences at all to their actions.
Girls like Demi draw others to them, and it’s apt to use the moths-to-a-flame analogy here, with all the damage from close contact implied.
We are introduced to Ashley, Damian, Verushka – or V as she prefers to be known – Siya and James. All are brittle with – as the title implies – sharp edges, and are as much defined by their dysfunctional relationships with those around them as they are self-absorbed.
Ashley is the odd one out, always trying and, in her mind, failing to fit in. Her crushingly low self-image means that she struggles to participate. V and James spiral around each other in a peculiar stilted relationship. It’s clear they are deeply fascinated by one another yet neither is willing to take that first step. Siya battles to live up to his father’s expectations, as much as he tries to express himself sexually. Damian is hopelessly and unutterably infatuated with Demi – so much so that he falls apart completely when she dies.
What makes this story so specifically poignant is the fact that Partridge sketches out characters that will resonate with people for different reasons. And she cuts close to the bone with her observations.
We see our younger selves in the broken facets, and the image reflected to us isn’t always nice or particularly comfortable. Dark, gritty and scratchy behind the eyes, Sharp Edges offers a glimpse into how casual cruelties can offer tragic, unintended consequences, which can ripple outward with devastating effect.
The novel will haunt you for a long time after you’re done reading, and Partridge masterfully holds you in suspense all the way to the last page.
September 13, 2013
In her fourth novel for Young Adults, SA Partridge documents the few days and weeks of a group of friends after the death of Demi Crowley. Going inside the mind of teenagers, Partridge gives us a glimpse into the thoughts, actions and heartbreak that shapes the lives of the five friends left alive after a horror weekend at a music festival. Demi the fun loving, happy-go-lucky girl who held together a group of friends, only wants her friends to be happy and to have the best 17th birthday party imaginable – however it ends in her untimely death.
Written from the different viewpoints in the aftermath of the tragedy, Partridge brings to life six characters who are all unique (and demented) in their own way, there are few authors I have read who have written a teen’s point of view so accurately. Reading this book reminded me of the politics and drama of my high school years, the fine balance of teenage friendships is so carefully constructed you could probably pick this group of friends out any high school in South Africa right now. It also reminded me of The Breakfast Club, everyone playing their specific role in their micro-society. Sharp Edges is reminiscent of Barrie Hough’s work, the emotion is captured so perfectly that your heart breaks along with the characters and unlike a lot of YA this book evokes empathy that is hard to find in the genre. It is also refreshing to read about actual teenagers, who are nothing special or supernatural just kids trying to find their way through life. The book hurtles towards a conclusion that will shock the reader and leave you horrified at the so-called friends of Demi Crowley. It is superbly written and a must-read for any YA fan.
Written from the different viewpoints in the aftermath of the tragedy, Partridge brings to life six characters who are all unique (and demented) in their own way, there are few authors I have read who have written a teen’s point of view so accurately. Reading this book reminded me of the politics and drama of my high school years, the fine balance of teenage friendships is so carefully constructed you could probably pick this group of friends out any high school in South Africa right now. It also reminded me of The Breakfast Club, everyone playing their specific role in their micro-society. Sharp Edges is reminiscent of Barrie Hough’s work, the emotion is captured so perfectly that your heart breaks along with the characters and unlike a lot of YA this book evokes empathy that is hard to find in the genre. It is also refreshing to read about actual teenagers, who are nothing special or supernatural just kids trying to find their way through life. The book hurtles towards a conclusion that will shock the reader and leave you horrified at the so-called friends of Demi Crowley. It is superbly written and a must-read for any YA fan.
January 30, 2016
This is one of those books where you know what happens at the end, but you don’t know how. So the book starts at the end, but then starts at the beginning, jumping through time, giving you small clues about the events and how they came to be. So long story short, 6 friends go away together, but only 5 stay alive… creepy right? That’s how I felt when reading this short story! There was always this creepy undertone and it kept me guessing!
The story is told from 5 perspectives: everyone who was there that night. I didn’t really identify with any of the characters and didn’t have a particular favorite. But I did want to know more about a particular character ‘A’, as the book progressed. Demi – the girl who died seemed like the happy go lucky flower child who everybody loved. I didn’t think too much about her, I was more concerned about her death.
I really liked the structure of the book. It worked for me. The flow was also great, it kept me intrigued! I can’t really discuss much more without giving something away, but I think it is a story most people would enjoy and a few characters some might identify with, or know someone like one of these characters.
Overall this short story really delighted! It sparked a discussion with a friend and I’m sure it will spark even more as more friends read this book!
newcup5
This got a 7/10 from me.
The story is told from 5 perspectives: everyone who was there that night. I didn’t really identify with any of the characters and didn’t have a particular favorite. But I did want to know more about a particular character ‘A’, as the book progressed. Demi – the girl who died seemed like the happy go lucky flower child who everybody loved. I didn’t think too much about her, I was more concerned about her death.
I really liked the structure of the book. It worked for me. The flow was also great, it kept me intrigued! I can’t really discuss much more without giving something away, but I think it is a story most people would enjoy and a few characters some might identify with, or know someone like one of these characters.
Overall this short story really delighted! It sparked a discussion with a friend and I’m sure it will spark even more as more friends read this book!
newcup5
This got a 7/10 from me.
February 26, 2014
Tightly written cameo about teens shattered by tragedy at a music festival.
The book gives a vivid picture of the headlong way in which teens live their lives, and all that other teen 'stuff' - the focus on self, the feeling that no one understands them, the blithe, guilt-free, take-it-for-granted attitude that drugs and drink make every experience better.
I liked the assurance of the writing, and the way the author really gets into the heads of the characters. She gets right down to the kernel of the story from the outset. It's immediate, taut, and free of digressions or anything else extraneous, but with enough left unexplained to keep you wondering what really happened until the very end - and don't we get a nice little kick in our assumptions!
The book gives a vivid picture of the headlong way in which teens live their lives, and all that other teen 'stuff' - the focus on self, the feeling that no one understands them, the blithe, guilt-free, take-it-for-granted attitude that drugs and drink make every experience better.
I liked the assurance of the writing, and the way the author really gets into the heads of the characters. She gets right down to the kernel of the story from the outset. It's immediate, taut, and free of digressions or anything else extraneous, but with enough left unexplained to keep you wondering what really happened until the very end - and don't we get a nice little kick in our assumptions!
September 11, 2013
Demi is dead. She is the glue that held her friend-circle together and without her they are coming unstuck. Sharp Edges is a cleverly constructed Y.A novel with a fragmented timeline that unravels the mystery of Demi's demise through the eyes of those closest to her. Each character is a beautifully drawn, recognisable rendition of the pain you feel coming of age in cruel world where wonder is easily broken. I drew a relieved breath at the end that I'd made it into adulthood, scarred and relatively safe, but was reminded not to become a complacent parent.
Sharp Edges should be required reading for teenagers and their parents.
Sharp Edges should be required reading for teenagers and their parents.
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September 4, 2013The book to me about 2 chapters to get into properly, but then it was a speeding up car heading for a brick wall. In the best possible sense. Loved loved that final moment.
June 12, 2021
Lieflike YA fiksiie.DIe skrywer is in pas met die jeug en die vertaling is regtig 'n kunswerk in eie reg, dit is meesterlik gedoen.
Die verhaal is ggensins voorspelbaar nie en dit was regtig 'n genotvolle lees.
Die verhaal is ggensins voorspelbaar nie en dit was regtig 'n genotvolle lees.
February 2, 2022
This was great. Fast-paced, interesting, well-contextualized. It's lovely to read a book set in South Africa and not feel like I'm being punched in the face with South-African references. I struggle to write short-form myself so this was very impressive.
September 9, 2014
For her seventeenth birthday, Demi goes to a music festival in the Cederberg with five of her friends. Sadly, what was supposed to be the best night of her life ends up being the last, and her friends go home traumatised by her tragic death. Her boyfriend Damien feels like he doesn’t have a reason to live anymore. Ashley and Verushka – known as V – has lost their best friend. James and Demi weren’t close, but he’s torn by the fact that her death ruined his relationship with V, who hates that they were together in his tent when Demi died. Siya will never be able to forget being the one to find Demi’s body, but all his father cares about is the fact that he went to a music festival without permission.
Sharp Edges delves into the minds of each of these characters, with each chapter taking us closer to Demi’s death and the events leading up to it. We not only get a sense of how deeply Demi’s death has affected her friends’ lives, but also how a tangled mess of teenage angst, lust and longing brought them all to this fate.
And what South African author Partridge does very well is depict some of the psychological ‘horrors’ of adolescence, like being stuck under the thumb of domineering or inadequate parents, juggling the various aspects of your evoling identity, being constantly awkward and angry and unsure of yourself.
As we move through each character’s POV narrative, you can also how painfully self-absorbed they all are. Each is struggling with their own issues, while almost completely failing to notice what difficulties the others are going through.
I liked some POVs more than others. Damien struck me as melodramatic while James was a bit boring as the typical bad boy hiding deep feelings under a callous exterior. Siya’s story was more interesting though, and Demi became more complex as the book progressed. At first she bothered me because some of the characters remember her as being so perfect – a beautiful, bubbly blonde with an endlessly sunny disposition. She even dyes her hair with a perfect array of rainbow colours. However, we eventually see that this sparkly ray of sunshine isn’t quite as lovely as she initially appears. Demi was perhaps so cheerful because she was a flighty person who never took anything seriously. And there is a problem in the way Damien idolises her as his dream girl – might things have turned out differently if he acknowledged her flaws?
It’s a tragically complicated mess of adolescent feelings, psychologies, personal issues, and mistakes that can’t be easily unravelled for easy answers. It’s the kind of book that presents a great opportunity for arguing back and forth about what the characters did, what they should have done, how culpable they are, what it’s like to be a teenager, etc.
There was one major issue that bothered me though – why is there no investigation into Demi’s death? Was there an autopsy? She’s underage, dies at a music festival, and drowns even though she is able to swim, so surely the authorities – or at least Demi’s parents – would immediately start asking questions about drug abuse and drinking at the very least. I can understand why Partridge might have avoided this – it allows her to focus solely on the characters’ psychological journeys. An investigation might have gotten in the way. But it still seems strange that any legal consequences of Demi’s death are absent.
Nevertheless, Sharp Edges is a good read, and at only 130 pages you can tear through it in an hour or two.
For more reviews, check out my blog Violin in a Void
Sharp Edges delves into the minds of each of these characters, with each chapter taking us closer to Demi’s death and the events leading up to it. We not only get a sense of how deeply Demi’s death has affected her friends’ lives, but also how a tangled mess of teenage angst, lust and longing brought them all to this fate.
And what South African author Partridge does very well is depict some of the psychological ‘horrors’ of adolescence, like being stuck under the thumb of domineering or inadequate parents, juggling the various aspects of your evoling identity, being constantly awkward and angry and unsure of yourself.
As we move through each character’s POV narrative, you can also how painfully self-absorbed they all are. Each is struggling with their own issues, while almost completely failing to notice what difficulties the others are going through.
I liked some POVs more than others. Damien struck me as melodramatic while James was a bit boring as the typical bad boy hiding deep feelings under a callous exterior. Siya’s story was more interesting though, and Demi became more complex as the book progressed. At first she bothered me because some of the characters remember her as being so perfect – a beautiful, bubbly blonde with an endlessly sunny disposition. She even dyes her hair with a perfect array of rainbow colours. However, we eventually see that this sparkly ray of sunshine isn’t quite as lovely as she initially appears. Demi was perhaps so cheerful because she was a flighty person who never took anything seriously. And there is a problem in the way Damien idolises her as his dream girl – might things have turned out differently if he acknowledged her flaws?
It’s a tragically complicated mess of adolescent feelings, psychologies, personal issues, and mistakes that can’t be easily unravelled for easy answers. It’s the kind of book that presents a great opportunity for arguing back and forth about what the characters did, what they should have done, how culpable they are, what it’s like to be a teenager, etc.
There was one major issue that bothered me though – why is there no investigation into Demi’s death? Was there an autopsy? She’s underage, dies at a music festival, and drowns even though she is able to swim, so surely the authorities – or at least Demi’s parents – would immediately start asking questions about drug abuse and drinking at the very least. I can understand why Partridge might have avoided this – it allows her to focus solely on the characters’ psychological journeys. An investigation might have gotten in the way. But it still seems strange that any legal consequences of Demi’s death are absent.
Nevertheless, Sharp Edges is a good read, and at only 130 pages you can tear through it in an hour or two.
For more reviews, check out my blog Violin in a Void
March 1, 2017
I enjoyed it, although I didn't like the drug abuse :(
I really enjoyed how it switched characters each chapter.
I really enjoyed how it switched characters each chapter.
October 20, 2014
“It takes forever to die.” (My favourite line in this book).
When a group of teens get permission to go away to a music festival for the weekend to celebrate Demi’s birthday without adult supervision, one of them dies. Demi was the glue of group and her death rips the seams of the little clique apart. In typical teenage fashion, each of them feel a level of responsibility and there’s a lot of finger pointing as to who is to blame.
The story untangles each characters’ private thoughts and version of events which puts the whole picture together for the reader in the end. The plot picks up pace fast and it definitely develops into a page turner...As an adult, reading a novel that has been categorised as Young Adult, I was (probably unjustifiably) missing a little more complexity.
Although I enjoyed the read, I felt the ending came prematurely and for a moment I wasn’t quite sure if that really was the end - was that it?
Having said that, I’m a big fan of South African fiction and loved how topical and relevant it was. It was an acute insight into the most awkward years of being a teenager: no longer a child not quite an adult.
When a group of teens get permission to go away to a music festival for the weekend to celebrate Demi’s birthday without adult supervision, one of them dies. Demi was the glue of group and her death rips the seams of the little clique apart. In typical teenage fashion, each of them feel a level of responsibility and there’s a lot of finger pointing as to who is to blame.
The story untangles each characters’ private thoughts and version of events which puts the whole picture together for the reader in the end. The plot picks up pace fast and it definitely develops into a page turner...As an adult, reading a novel that has been categorised as Young Adult, I was (probably unjustifiably) missing a little more complexity.
Although I enjoyed the read, I felt the ending came prematurely and for a moment I wasn’t quite sure if that really was the end - was that it?
Having said that, I’m a big fan of South African fiction and loved how topical and relevant it was. It was an acute insight into the most awkward years of being a teenager: no longer a child not quite an adult.
November 9, 2015
This was a masterful book! SA Partidge has a way of writing such authentic, unique teenage voices. I loved how she told the story from all the different angles of the people involved - it made the ending so much more impactful. I hope this gets prescribed at schools.
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September 24, 2013SA Partridge has done so much for Short Story Day Africa. A true champion for the YAs. Read many of her shorts. This is my first time giving her one of her novels a go.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews