At the Edge of the World

Gr 10 Up—Ivan and Maddie have been best friends since childhood. Now they both are high school seniors confronting grown-up challenges. Ivan lives with his alcoholic father, Des, a sometime drug trafficker and part-time carpenter. Ivan often must shoulder the responsibility for himself and his dad during Des's frequent drunken bouts and occasional absences. But the young man hides all of this from his friends, even Maddie. She has her own concerns. Will she attend Emily Carr University of Art and Design, as her father Peter wishes? Or can Bo, her other father, convince Peter to allow her the freedom to find her own way? First-person chapters alternate between Ivan's and Maddie's perspectives. However, the characters never really come to life. The alternating viewpoints should have been a perfect opportunity for the author to delve into the characters' inner struggles, to explore Ivan's despair and Maddie's turmoil. But the action remains on the surface. The characters narrate the story in simple, declarative sentences that make them seem younger than they are. Set on Canada's west coast, the novel gives readers a taste of a close-knit town in which members pitch in during times of need but where much is hidden from public view or overlooked by those who will not see deeper. Surfing, fishing, and festivals add to the local color. This realistic fiction title uses mature language casually and frequently. It also includes multiple episodes of underage drinking—often in the presence of adults.