On a scale of one to ten

A girl is admitted to a psychiatric unit for teenagers after she blames herself for the death of a school friend who committed suicide.

Tamar is admitted to Lime Grove, a psychiatric hospital for teenagers, where she's asked endless questions. But there's one question Tamar can't - won't - answer: What happened to her friend Iris?

I can't describe what it now feels like to be alive to someone who has not drowned in the darkness. Being alive is raw, and so terrifying that sometimes I look back towards the time before, and the darkness beckons me to crawl back into its depths and grovel at its feet like I used to, and sometimes, tempted, I take a step back...

A uniquely powerful, devastating novel of friendship, fragility and guilt.

NOTE: Contains strong language.

NOTE: Includes fairly graphic descriptions of self-harm and suicide.

NOTE : Branford Boase longlist 2019

A powerful, emotional and eye-opening read with good pace and characterisation. Worth a read although not one for the faint-hearted!

Includes fairly graphic descriptions of self-harm and suicide.