Kiss of Broken Glass

Kuderick, Madeleine. Kiss of Broken Glass. 2014. 224p. ISBN 0062306561. Available as an audiobook on Overdrive.

Fifteen-year-old Kenna has been brought by the police to the psychiatric ward of the hospital where she will be hospitalized for the next 72 hours. Discovered cutting herself in the girls’ bathroom at school, she finds herself in a sterile and hostile environment with others like her who are experiencing life traumas. Only, Kenna’s not sure she should even be here. That little kiss of the blade on her wrist was nothing, and she’s got the scars to prove to her friends that she belong in the cutter’s club.

Now that she’s locked up, however, Kenna must take a good look at her life and decide whether she even needs help. After all, unlike some of the other girls in her group, she hasn’t been molested. She doesn’t have a very dysfunctional family. She doesn’t do drugs or alcohol. She cuts because it provides her with a high and relieves the tension. She cuts because she didn’t have a reason to cut.

Other teens are here too. Donya, who is also a cutter, is experiencing  her fifth trip to the ward. Skylar, who’s anorexic and a cutter. Jag, who punched his stepfather in the face and sports cigarette burns on his arm. Each has a problem, and each can teach a lesson to Kenna. If only she’ll listen instead of seeking the next opportunity to cut herself …

Written in verse, this novel reads quickly and packs a powerful emotional punch as the reader sees all of Kenna’s thoughts and feelings towards her cutting.

If you liked this book, consider reading Thirteen Reasons Why, Please Ignore Vera Dietz, We Were Liars, If I Stay, Zoe Letting Go, Black Box, or The Vanishing Season. All of these books feature a tragedy and a voyage of self-discovery as the central element of the plot.