*Mini spoilers ahead!*
Running out of food (and alcohol), rarely sleeping in the same bed two nights in a row, staying up late having intense ‘deep and meaningfuls’, friendship breakdowns, regrettable hook ups. The Brink brings to mind my own Schoolies experience—minus the mysterious deaths and machete-wielding locals.
The Brink, originally released in 2022 by Text Publishing, is the second novel by West Australian author Holden Sheppard and follows a group of recently graduated Year 12 students on their ‘leavers’ trip (or Schoolies for us Queenslanders). A last-minute change of plans lands them on a small island managed by a tight-knit group of locals who live on the mainland. From the outside, it looks like the perfect way to celebrate the end of an era, but it was doomed from the start.
The tension starts building from the very first chapter, which introduces the reader to one of the narrators. The story is told from the perspective of three main characters: Leonardo (the outsider whose mum recently passed away and is secretly suffering with severe anxiety attacks), Mason (a sexually confused ‘macho bro’ who is desperately in love with his best friend), and Kaiya (the virgin whose older sister has disgraced the family by doing drugs and falling pregnant).
Over the first half of the book, the tension slowly builds as relationships fall apart, boundaries are pushed, and unaddressed conflict begins bubbling to the surface. While their days might be filled with drinking, fucking, napping, and occasionally reading on the beach, there is an ominous feeling creeping closer that promises the story won’t have a happy ending. The tenuous bond holding the group together finally breaks when a suspicious death occurs on the island, leaving everyone questioning their friends and enemies.
The story continually switches between the inner monologues and experiences of Leonardo, Mason, and Kaiya, which gives the reader a fuller picture and a deeper understanding of what is actually happening. Each character is dealing with their own internal struggle, while also trying to make sense of the events as they unfold. In true young adult fashion, as they are trying to come to terms with finding a dead body, they are also trying to become the people they want to be; while Leonardo struggles to decide whether he should confront his childhood best friend over the breakdown of their relationship, Mason is dreaming up scenarios that might bring him closer to becoming intimate with his crush while battling what this means about his sexuality.
The story culminates in a climactic ending, leaving the reader a little exhausted. For a relatively short novel, a lot happens. While the mystery is solved, not everything is neatly tied up in a bow. As is often the case in real life, the characters haven’t suddenly become the ideal, fully-formed adults they hoped to be. They are still flawed and a little immature (as most of us were at 18), but they have faced their inner conflicts and grown more comfortable in their own skin.
While the book is distinctly YA, the story is told in a nuanced and gritty way that captivates the reader and holds their attention. This speaks to the relatable experience of being caught in that tricky space between childhood and adulthood.
Even though the narration switches between three different voices, the author has spent ample time building each character, which results in a unique reading experience. I felt like I truly understood the characters’ motivations and struggles, allowing me to connect with each one on a deeper level.
One of the most significant themes of this book is masculinity and what it means to ‘be a man’. This question is explored through three significant characters, all of whom have preconceived and conflicting ideas of masculinity. The author doesn’t push one agenda onto the reader, instead showing how these varying definitions of manhood impact each character’s choices and their journey toward self-discovery.
I couldn’t put this book down and read it in just two sessions curled up on the couch. Even though the subject matter and the themes explored are, at times, dark and unnerving, the prose is easy to absorb, and I found myself gliding smoothly through the chapters. I think this reflects the talent of the author and his skill in crafting the narrative.
The Brink is a remarkable Australian coming of age story, one I would recommend to any young person struggling with finding their place in the world. Or anyone who wants to relive their Schoolies week, with a little added drama.
