On the Edge of Everything

 

On the Edge of Everything by Miranda Luby (Text Publishing) PB ISBN: 9781923059306

Reviewed by Robyn Gillies

Lucy is still grief-stricken from the tragic loss of her older brother, whom she adored and who ‘got’ her. It’s now eleven months after her brother’s death, and her parents are trying desperately to get her out of her room and back to living an everyday life. But Lucy isn’t like them, pretending everything is OK when it’s not.

The story starts with an endangered bird that flies into her bedroom window one evening. Lucy sees it as a sign. When it survives the night, she takes it to a local wildlife sanctuary the following day, where she meets Ben, one of the workers. The sanctuary is looking for summer staff, and Lucy decides to apply. For the first time since her brother’s death, she sees the slightest glimmer of a possible meaningful summer, which is then whisked away when she takes a risk that backfires in more ways than one.

Lucy’s grief is tangible and perceptively portrayed. The most seemingly banal events trigger deep dives into intense sorrow, but how can others understand her when she doesn’t understand herself? However, this is also a story about growing up, friendship, new experiences, and competing and conflicting emotions—how can you feel so happy when you feel so sad? The impacts of urban development on the delicate balance of nature are also woven seamlessly throughout.

The reader is drawn into Lucy’s world, darting seamlessly into and out of her internal and external domains. We travel with her on a rollercoaster of emotions as she tries to make sense of her life, of her very existence, and as she learns how random acts can have long-term consequences. But her journey ultimately takes her to a place of possibility.

Lucy’s character is complex and sensitive, and the story is multi-layered and well-paced. The simple but beautiful language creates authentic individuals in a believable, sensory time and place.

This deep, thoughtful, reflective story gives considered and compassionate insight into how a teenager may experience loss. It is a sincere story that anyone who has lost a young person should read.