Kiss of Broken Glass by Madeleine Kuderick

Title: Kiss of Broken Glass
Author: Madeleine Kuderick
Published: 9th October 2014
Publisher: Harper Teen

Review
When I first opened this book and saw that it was written in verse, I thought oh no, because I initially thought it was poetry and I'm not a fan. But I thought I would not knock it until I tried it and actually it worked really well in verse.
Kiss of Broken Glass deals with the highly sensitive issue of self harming and in particular as the title so cleverly hints at is cutting. Kenna has been caught harming herself in the girls bathroom and in Florida that means you have to go psychiatric ward for 72 hours under the Baker Act. Kenna is annoyed with Tara for ratting her out, but once there she meets other just like her and in those 72 hours she is just about able to forget her own problems for a bit.
I thought this was actually beautifully and sensitively written and I don't think it would have worked in anything other than verse. Madeleine really gets across the reality of self-harming and how it can be down to any number of things, from just fitting in to not feeling completely loved by your Mum. Even though I have no personal experience of this myself, I really felt like Madeleine got across the mindset of someone who self-harms. The thing that got me was that some people with little understanding, don't know why people who self-harm can't just stop; it is like asking someone to stop breathing. 
This novel became particularly poignant when I read at the back that the author's daughter had gone through this and in my own small way I would like to thank her for sharing her story as it has definitely opened up my eyes and I now have more empathy and understanding. I read Kiss of Broken Glass in just over an hour. You really get sucked into Kenna's story and I couldn't stop myself from turning the pages until I got to the end.
A beautifully written, sensitive and moving story.