4 Stars from me
Beautiful book cover!
That may be the last time I use the word ‘beautiful’ in this review as The Same Ledge is darkly intoxicating with its brutal approach to depravity.
Childhood friends, Michael and Cameron are well defined vividly easy to imagine – as are the scenes and places that Daniel James has created for us in this book.
The two boys – thrown together initially by both being outcasts and victims of childhood abuse – forge a deep friendship despite their many fundamental differences.
Their lives take very different routes and while I desperately hoped for Cameron to turn things around, he was thoroughly unlikeable even though I wanted to find sympathy for him it was difficult. Michael on the other hand works hard and does well for himself but his self-worth never quite seems to catch up with him.
This is a stark, deep, dark novel which doesn’t pull any punches. It offers an uncomfortable – maybe necessary – view, and is one you will think about for a good while after reading.
My thanks to @DanJamesWriting and @damppebbles for letting me join this #damppebblesblogtours for #TheSameLedge
Book Blurb: Behind the postcard imagery of London, the darkest parts of the city house some of the saddest stories.
When Michael met Cameron, they were two boys who shared a bond and a ledge, an escape from their turbulent and violent home lives. But when Michael leaves, their lives drift apart into dramatically different directions until the events of the past bring them back together. They are no longer boys, but the ledge remains. Can they save themselves? Can they save one another?
This raw debut from Daniel James is a literary fiction that delves into fragile friendships, social inequality and mental health.
Read and Rated 
Thanks so much x