The Edge of Falling by Rebecca Serle (review)

The death of Caggie’s sister last January left Caggie emotionally devastated and distant, so much so that even her devoted boyfriend, Trevor, eventually broke up with her. Now Caggie is returning to her toney Manhattan school for senior year, and she’s dreading two things in particular: having to see her classmates, especially Trevor, and having to deal with the aftermath of her supposed heroism in rescuing Kristen Jenkins from a suicide attempt, when Caggie knows that what actually happened was something very different. In brash new boy Astor, though, she’s finding somebody she can forget the past with and lose herself in—despite signs that she may lose more with Astor than she realizes. Serle brings new dimension to the grieving sibling story, avoiding the overworn last-chapter telling of the tragedy and instead saving the unfolding of Caggie’s own near self-destruction for the dénouement. Caggie’s attraction to Astor is understandable, both for the obliterative power of lust and for the potent bonding over mutual damage, but her relationships with friends, nonfriends, and the semi-mysterious Kristen are equally well drawn. Astor is flagged pretty early as seriously bad news, but it’s believable that Caggie’s willing to overlook the warning signs, and the exact nature of his downward spiral (and her pull out of it) is a surprise. The book adds dimension with its sharp and understanding portrait of the wealthy Manhattan milieu, but it never sinks into a reductive assessment of its residents as either emotionally bankrupt or shallow caricature. A compelling drama with a sympathetic protagonist, this is a sensitive look at the way grief can distort a life.