The Sharp Edge of Silence

Tradition meets People Like Us in this timely and haunting YA contemporary standalone that tackles the contagious nature of toxic masculinity at an elite New England boarding school clinging to its past, and the sexual assault that changes everything.

WHO WILL YOU BE AT LYCROFT PHELPS?

This is the question all Lycroft applicants want to be asked. It means they’ve been accepted to one of the most prestigious private high schools in the nation.

Over 150 years is plenty of time for traditions to bake into the campus’s bricks and ivy. Ceremonies. Athletic rivalries. Secret societies. Pranks taken too far. But navigating it all will make Charlotte (perfect, straight-A student), Max (scholarship kid and STEM whiz), and Quinn (artist, dreamer, Lycroft legacy) question all they thought they knew about themselves…and the school.

Especially when Quinn’s sexual assault becomes public and implicates one of the top-tier athletes on campus.

Told in alternating perspectives, this gripping, fast-paced narrative is perfect for readers looking for their next empowering #MeToo read.

When the school’s reputation is on the line, who will be protected and who will be silenced?

• Multiple POV: See the scandal unfold through the eyes of the dancer, the scholarship kid, and the survivor whose story changes everything.
• Class & Privilege: From the scholarship kid trying to fit in to the powerful legacies who own the school, this story explores the sharp divide between the haves and the have-nots.
• A Gripping Revenge Plot: As Quinn seeks justice on her own terms, she’ll discover how far she’s willing to go to make her attacker pay.
• For Fans of YA Social Thrillers: A powerful and timely standalone novel perfect for readers of Courtney Summers and Kathleen Glasgow.

"The Sharp Edge of Silence is a searingly honest story of sexual assault and one girl’s journey to fight for herself in the aftermath. But it’s also about friendship and finding one’s voice. Quinn is heroic and human and she had my heart from the very first page. Please read this beautiful book." - Jennifer Niven, #1 New York Times bestselling author of All the Bright Places

“Told in sumptuous, evocative prose, The Sharp Edge of Silence chronicles the interwoven stories of three very different Lycroft Phelps students on their journey to a shared epiphany: that power and privilege hide a multitude of sins, and silence is the natural enemy of justice. The poetic narrative and sparkling New England setting illustrate that beauty can be found in broken things, and anything is survivable if we don’t give up on ourselves.” - Gillian French, Edgar Award Finalist and author of Grit, The Lies They Tell, and Missing Season

“The Sharp Edge of Silence is a thrilling story of the courage necessary to effect change at a vividly drawn boarding school. Cameron Kelly Rosenblum writes with a crackling, lyrical voice that takes root in your heart and echoes in your mind long after you’re done turning pages.” - Jeff Zentner, critically acclaimed and award-winning author of The Serpent King and In the Wild Light

“Unnerving, harrowing and suspenseful, The Sharp Edge of Silence is a masterfully woven story that explodes with raw anger at the repercussions of toxic masculinity on an elite boarding school campus. A sensitive, hopeful look at fitting in and taking a stand.”    - Alex Richards, author of Accidental and When We Were Strangers

"An unflinching, necessarily emotionally difficult read with plenty to say." - Kirkus Reviews

"Rosenblum’s immersive and poetic prose tackles difficult themes with precision and care, delivering a profound account of overcoming trauma in a system designed to protect abusers." - Publishers Weekly

“Rosenblum delivers both pain and retribution in a caustic narrative that challenges toxic masculinity while also mourning how impossible it can feel to overcome such a culturally pervasive environment.” - Booklist