The Edge of Anything

April 20, 2020
This emotionally charged story of two high school girls battling different illnesses near Asheville, N.C., follows an awkward acquaintanceship that blossoms into a profound, perhaps life-saving friendship. Seventeen-year-old volleyball star Sage’s dreams of going pro are crushed when she is diagnosed with a dangerous heart condition. Meanwhile, her schoolmate Len fears “slowly losing her mind” as she becomes increasingly fearful and less able to control her thoughts and behaviors following a family tragedy. After a couple of uncomfortable encounters at school, the girls become aware of each other’s vulnerabilities and temporarily put aside their own problems in order to reach out. Gradually forming a bond of trust, Sage and Len become confidantes, but the risks they secretly take when alone could lead to at least one of their deaths. Carpenter (Yoga Frog), herself a victim of trauma-induced OCD, draws equally convincing portraits of two suffering teens. Alternating the girls’ points of view, she sharply contrasts their home lives, personalities, and passions while focusing on their fears and despair. Chronicling traumas and the girls’ respective coping mechanisms in ways both genuine and harrowing, Carpenter focuses on hope and the ways friendship can help shine light through the darkness. Ages 13–up. Agent: Victoria Wells Arms, Wells Arms Literary.