Sadly this book was not a good fit for me - I found that the many different perspectives made it difficult to get emotionally invested in any of the characters. After struggling to the 50% mark and still not enjoying the journey I decided to DNF.

This debut novel from Grainne Murphy details the events surrounding a bus toppling into a sink hole in a rural Irish town. The book features individual chapters from the point of view of 5 main characters; Nina (a journalist covering the event) Tim (firefighter and Nina's ex husband), Richie (the bus driver) Alina (one of the rescued passengers) and Lucy (a passenger awaiting rescue). Each one of these characters is shown to be suffering their own type of personal tragedy, in particular that of Nina and Tim, whose only child Aisling died as a baby. The author also explores universal themes such as loneliness, grief, racism, family and prejudice. The characters were credible and drawn from real life. It is also praiseworthy for some beautiful descriptive language which reveals the challenges, humanity and sadness of the everyday life

While there was great potential for this plot device, I felt there was something missing from this novel, which I am finding it hard to put my finger on. There was a disassociation between the characters and the drama of the event itself which was not fully developed. Overall this novel left me cold, and I really wanted to like it. Perhaps this has a lot to do with the times we live in, where it seems harder than normal to read stories of grief? I wish the author well with her novel. 2 stars from me.

Many thanks to @netgalley and @legendpress for this ARC in return for my honest review.

There is much to admire in this novel an account of a bus crash and its myriad impacts, told from different perspectives but the measured tone of the prose and switching between narrators left me feeling a little blank.
It is a concept has been executed skilffully before in Geoff Ryman's award winning novel 253 and the excellent The Sweet Hereafter by Russell Banks - one of my favourite novels, so the author has set themselves firmly in terrritory that is both rich and well trodden.
I think it is an excellent title for a book club or reading group, as there are important topics (racism, governance and corruption, faith, grief) likely to evoke strong feelings and the contrasting points of view will make for a lively discussion.

Where the edge is by Grainne Murphy is a subtle narrative of relationships, grief and beliefs. Nina's first on scene report since her return to work is the site of a bus crash. The road has collapsed and a bus has fallen through; A rescue mission has saved the driver and a single passenger but the bus has fallen further and due to safety of the rescue team and neighbouring buildings the remaining passengers have to wait. In the time it takes to clear the remaining passengers from the wreckage Nina talks to the rescued parties, the families of those still stuck and her estranged husband, the lead for the rescue mission.
This is an emotional read of harrowing tales from multiple narrators, with difficult subject matter discussed fairly and without apology. The subject of how religion can help and hinder in times of grief and how strangers can bring strength or complete lack of empathy. The characters are a great cross section of an Irish town, well described although not all likable.
A great read, I am looking forward to Grainne's next novel.
Thanks to Legend Press and NetGalley for the ARC

More a humane human study but still a page turner. The small town, Irish setting really worked, and the characters beautifully fleshed out.

Where the Edge is was an excellent, excellent read. I enjoyed the multiple narrators and the intermingling of storylines. I appreciated the way the author integrated multiple experiences of trauma and highlighted the many, many ways trauma and grief can impact an individual's life, and how public responses to trauma can exacerbate the feelings of survivors, induce guilt, or introduce additional problems into the trauma response. I appreciated the characters and the visuals throughout the book and definitely enjoyed my reading experience.

I struggled to really get into this book. It's told from so many different perspectives, that I would get into one character's view and then it would go on to someone else and then not return to the other characters so it was difficult to really get lost in this book. It was an interesting concept, but sadly it didn't really work for me.

What seemed to be a tale of fate, events occurring at the wrong or right times, and luck, turned into a deep character and life study through the eyes of Nina, mainly.
She was the reporter talking to the families of a bus "accident" that wasn't really an accident as the road opened up underneath it.
Some survived, some didn't. 2 escaped almost unscathed and had mixed reactions from the public - were they heroes, were they lucky, should they have tried to save others.
There were part of this I really enjoyed and found myself thinking deeply on them.
Other parts were too off the path and verbiose for me actually taking away from the events and characters themselves.
It is a fine line between a plot that inspires thought and reflection, vs a plot that inspires you to skim over parts to get back to the lines causing reflection.
Thankful for the ARC - an interesting read for this year.

I loved this book. I thought the narrative framing device used was intriguing and it kept me invested in the stories. I will recommend this with my friends!

This was an interesting take on a very powerful situation.

Plot: a couple comes to terms with the loss of their child and marriage as a result whilst working on an accident involving a bus and the loss of all passengers except 3 of them. The lady is a reporter and the man works with the fire department and it is set in Ireland.

Triggers: Depression, loss, pain, divorce

Opinion: I would give this book 3 stars. It honestly has the potential to be such a poignant read especially from the viewpoint of a grieving family under all circumstances. I like how it delved into Nina's unfelt pain and how much she tried to avoid feeling the loss of her child. I also like how the writer showed the kind of damage that buried grief can cause on relationships. It was heart wrenching to see how loss can affect different individuals and the way in which they cope with it. It's not always easy to deal with loss and come out the other side okay. My main issues with the book have to do with the length and the annoying repetition of ideas or scenes in the writing. Honestly this would be best as a shorter book without repeating scenes of how the death of Aisling occurred. I also wish there was more character development of the individuals involved in the bus crash, like I would have like to know more about Alina and her mother and husband's family and how they reacted to her leaving for a trip to Lebanon. I would have also liked to know more about Orla's parents and sisters grief, as well as Lucy and Kieran's relationship.

The supporting characters were interesting to read about, I just wish the writer could have extended their storyline to give a much more rounded understanding or perspective on grief. It would have also enhanced the storyline and given a better comparison to how Nina and Tim handled their loss.

This wasn't exactly what I expected from the synopsis which I do think influenced my reaction. It is wonderfully written but a bit heavier than I was initially anticipating. Had I been expecting a literary exploration of grief and trauma this would have probably been a five star, but for what I felt was advertised- more thriller-esque- it was quite dark.

In WHERE THE EDGE IS, Gráinne Murphy tells the story of what happens when complete strangers are thrown together when an unthinkable tragedy plummets a bus partway down a sinkhole during an an everyday, none-too-exciting morning. While individuals celebrate the chance that kept them out of the bus and others frantically work toward rescue and being saved, a temporary extended family develops between key characters. Each character is nuanced and complex, so while I enjoyed the shifts in narratives between the key characters, I especially enjoyed being in certain minds and hearts including the troubled newswoman struggling to keep it together while grieving her own tragedies and losses. I was surprised by how quickly I settled back in my chair and let the story unfurl beautifully written and perfectly paced by a masterful writer. A compelling and pleasurable story. I received an advance copy of the novel from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review.

I thought I was going to love WHERE THE EDGE Is. I anticipated that it would be a literary thriller. However, the thriller part is not really present. This is a contemplative literary novel, almost more like linked short stories. While each chapter is beautifully written, there are a lot of characters to keep up with, which makes it difficult to feel strongly about any particular one.

I especially enjoyed Nina's perspective and how her own personal grief intersected with the story of the bus crash, which she's covering in her job as a journalist.

Despite how it difficult it is to develop true feelings for the large cast of characters, I did find the book to be written with thoughtful depth and warmth.

Recommended for fans of literary short stories.

It is a normal morning in Cork and people are going about their daily business. Going to school, to work, the shops. Then a sinkhole opens up and a bus disappears down the hole. It becomes very far from a normal day.
The problem I had with this book was that it didn't go in the direction I wanted it to. It just means that the book's focus wasn't what I expected or wanted. I anticipated that the bulk of the story would centre around the people on the bus; their backstories, their families and the actual rescue mission. Although this did form a part of the story the real focus was on the reporter Nina and her emotional struggles both past and present. Hers was a story that could have been written with many other backgrounds. I wanted to hear about the people on the bus and the rescue mission. I wanted to know what happened to these people and their families in much more detail.
This doesn't make it a bad book. In fact it was a well written book with some great characters. I just wanted to know more about those other characters and less about Nina.
I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley.

An excellent novel, very well written with a style that draws you in from the very start.

Whilst centred on one major event, much of the actual story is based on the lives of the individuals involved.

Recommended.

It's astonishing that this is a first novel, it is so well written, well crafted and insightful. It's quite a difficult book to review. From one perspective, it's a relatively simple, very readable story about an accident and rescue, taking place within a few days, with a fairly small number of characters. But behind that simplicity there's a lot going on. It's intelligent and psychologically astute, and touches on a wide range of themes, from the nature of grief to identity, xenophobia, religion, courage... And it's extremely well written, even lyrical at times.

The story is about the events surrounding a bus that falls into a sinkhole early one morning in a small town in Ireland. But the bus crash itself is almost incidental: it is the backstories, relationships and interactions between the people in the bus, their loved ones and the rescue team that carry this novel. It also shows in a very realistic way how some people - both those directly involved and members of the public are quick to pass judgement and apportion blame, well before they are in possession of facts about what has actually happened.

It is above all a novel about death and grief, and at times it is painful to read. But there is humour too. Overall the pace is well balanced, both in terms of plot development and emotional intensity. The different characters are distinct and interesting, and there are some beautiful passages, such as the conversations between Lucy and Orla, trapped in the bus together.

This novel could appeal to a wide range of readers: those interested in digging deep into its themes, metaphors and characters (perfect for book clubs) as well as those who just want a fairly easy read that's not dumbed down.

<em>My thanks to Netgalley for giving me a free copy of this book. All my reviews are 100% honest and unbiased, regardless of how I acquire the book.</em>

In a small Irish village, a bus crashes unexpectedly and without explanation. Nina is the journalist on the scene, whie her ex-husband Tim is part of the fire service, carrying out his role as advisor. But there's more than meets the eye with this couple, as they're both still grieving the death of their baby daughter.

I wanted to really love this book as the idea of the story sounded brilliant however, I found myself dissappointed. I wanted to know more about the victims inside the bus crash; Orla, Lucy and Paul. The story mostly follows Anna and Tim, Anna's perspective I found interesting but with Tim, I started to find it dull as there was a heavy focus on his work, which went over my head.
We also hear bits from Richie the bus-driver and a passenger Alina, both whom were resuced quickly and also from Lucy who is still stuck inside the bus. I found Richie and Lucy to be seriously unlikeable characters, I couldn't connect to them at all and would have preferred to hear much more about Paul and Orla.
An okay read but I wouldn't recommend it to friends.

This book was not as I expected. The story is built around a bush crash in a small Irish village, a journalist and a police officer and a lost baby.

I felt detached from the storyline - I could not relate to or quite believe what I was reading.

We meet each bus passenger and hear their stories, an aspect I liked but at the same time, I still remained detached.

The story floats along, not a page turner but you are somewhat compelled to learn of everyone's fate.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book for reveiw

Firstly, this book is written beautifully and looks tastefully at the sensitive issue of grief. However, for me I wanted to know more about the characters in the bus rather than Nina and Tim. Overall, I think this book is more of a character study of Nina and Time and their grief that uses the bus accident as a vehicle to portray that story.

For me it just felt a little drawn out and I would have loved more about Lucy, Paul and Orla.

Genre: Literary Fiction
Publisher: Legend Press
Pub. Date: Sept. 15, 2020

The title of this story is a reference to people, mostly through no fault of their own, who live on the edge of their emotions and lives. A town in rural Ireland wakes up to the news that a road has collapsed swallowing up a bus with eight people trapped inside. As the vehicle slowly falls deeper into the earth, the media is all over the story interfering with the rescue team’s attempt to get them before it is too late. Doesn’t this sound like a plot-driven novel? It is actually a character-driven tale that explores trauma, loss grief, and survival. Each chapter portrays the lives of the passengers and their families. As well as a news reporter and her ex-husband (no this does not morph into women’s fiction. Their loss is important to the theme of the novel) who is the fire department liaison.

Identify and racial issues are examined when the white male bus driver pulls out a brown-skinned female passenger. The author has such control over her characters’ voices that the reader can hear them speak. He is a regular sort of guy who just wants to please his beloved aging mom and win back his ex-wife. A sweetheart of a man, yet months before the incident he was suspended for saying a racial slur. The woman who he saves has lived in Ireland since she was a small child, married to an Irish man, knows all the Irish songs, and has adapted to the Irish way of life but the press refers to her as a Pakistani. Murphy nails her frustration.

While never feeling forced, the author will tug at your heart describing the underground conversations of those trapped in the bus, and the panic of their families above the ground. The author’s ability to go back and forth in time, to reflect on her characters’ multiple points of view, while never losing the feeling of their desperation makes them stick with you, haunting you, well after you have read the last page and know the outcome of their ordeal. I was so impressed that with this debut novel that I googled the author. I was not surprised to learn that many of her short stories were short and longlisted for literary awards. Without a doubt, I will be on the lookout for her next novel.