A group of school-leavers: free at last, ready to party, and expectations high.
A remote island on the Western Australian coast wasn’t exactly the plan, but they’re not going to let that hold them back.
Leonardo, geeky, asthmatic, shy and prone to anxiety, has landed with them. He’s terrified—he’s definitely not part of this cool gang. Super high-achiever Kaiya is trying to forget her frustration with her drug-addicted sister as well as dealing with pressure from the popular girls to lose her virginity. Mason, footy jock with the physique to match, is coming to terms with his secret desire for his best mate, Jared. And Jared wants a week off from his relationship with Val so he can have sex with as many girls as possible.
But the party takes a dangerous turn when Val is drugged and a man is later found dead on the beach. Blame, fear, mistrust, coverups, power plays and dark secrets tear the group apart and expose the deadly tensions beneath the surface. And each teen is forced to confront demons that will lead them either to devastating tragedy or transformative triumph.
Whoever survives the week will never be the same again.
The Brink is a raw, powerful novel that pulls no punches in its authentic exploration of masculinity, sexuality, mental health, drug and alcohol use, relationships and sex. Holden Sheppard takes the teenage experience to the next level.
LGBTQIA+ Themes, LGBTQIA+ Own Voices
Young Adult, Mental Health, Relationships
About The Author
Holden Sheppard is an award-winning West Australian author. His debut novel Invisible Boys (Fremantle Press, 2019) won multiple accolades, including the 2019 West Australian Premier's Prize for an Emerging Writer and the 2018 City of Fremantle Hungerford Award. The book is now being translated into French for forthcoming publication in Europe. In 2023, Invisible Boys was greenlit for production as a ten-episode TV series by Stan Australia.
Holden's second novel The Brink (Text Publishing, 2022) won the Young Adult Book of the Year Award at the 2023 Indie Book Awards. The Brink was also shortlisted for the 2023 NSW Premier's Literary Awards and the 2023 Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIAs).
Holden's writing has been published in books including Growing Up in Country Australia (Black Inc, 2022), Hometown Haunts (Wakefield Press, 2021) and Bright Lights, No City (Margaret River Press, 2019). He has written articles for WA Today, 10 Daily, the Huffington Post, the ABC, DNA Magazine and FasterLouder and his creative works have been published in journals Griffith Review, Westerly, page seventeen and Indigo Journal. He graduated with Honours from Edith Cowan University’s Writing program, and in 2015 won a prestigious Australia Council grant.
Holden has been profiled in several books including Prudish Nation (Upswell Publishing, 2023), Hard Knocks (Affirm Press, 2022) and How To Be An Author (Fremantle Press, 2021). In 2022, he appeared on the hit ABC TV series You Can't Ask That (Season 7, Episode 1: "Bogans"). Holden is an ambassador for Lifeline WA and served as Deputy Chair of Writing WA from 2019 - 2023. He is represented by Gaby Naher of Left Bank Literary.
When he's not writing, Holden can be found working out at the gym, watching or playing footy (AFL), or working as a labourer. Originally from Geraldton in the Midwest, he now lives in Perth's far north with his husband.
https://www.holdensheppard.com/
https://x.com/V8Sheppard
https://www.instagram.com/holdensheppard/
https://www.facebook.com/HoldenSheppardAuthor/
https://www.tiktok.com/@holdensheppardauthor
