BREAKING DAWN is a part of the Cutting Edge Series by Ransom Publishing. The first five books of the series will be release in November 2007 - including my very own BREAKING DAWN. The Cutting Edge Series is young adult fiction dealing with hard topics that youths face. BREAKING DAWN is about coping with the suicide of a friend.
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Review of BREAKING DAWN
by Beth Fehlbaum
Donna Shelton's debut novel is Breaking Dawn, releasing Nov. 2007 from Ransom Books as part of its Cutting Edge series. Breaking Dawn is the story of a the suicide of a young gay man, and what his best friend, Dawn, goes through as a result.
Breaking Dawn (Ransom, Nov. 2007) is the debut novel of Young Adult Fiction author Donna Shelton. Part of Ransom's Cutting Edge series, Breaking Dawn is a powerful account of a teenage girl's friendship with Perry, a closeted gay teenager whose life, with the exception of the time spent with Dawn and her parents, is hellish.
Breaking Dawn addresses suicide, homophobia, alcoholism, and guilt -- and it doesn't shrink from the ugliness of any of it. Although written for reluctant readers and targeted toward a teen audience, Breaking Dawn is a story that will speak to readers of all ages.
Donna Shelton skillfully portrays Dawn's butterfly-feelings as she experiences first love; irritation with Perry's "third wheel" status, and the fading of Dawn and Perry's best friend status will bring tears to the eyes of adults as they remember what it was like when relationships shifted.
Breaking Dawn speaks to teenagers on their level--and struggling readers will find the text accessible, which is Ransom Book's mission-- yet respects their intelligence and need for relevant stories in a captivating way. Breaking Dawn is unforgettable.
Beth Fehlbaum
Author, Courage in Patience, currently on submission to several publishing houses
http://www.myspace.com/bethfehlbaum
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Excerpt from BREAKING DAWN by Donna Shelton
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I’ve read it. I’m sitting here. I stop breathing - I don’t know for how long. My eyes start to dry before I realize I’m not even blinking. It’s like my whole body has just ceased to function. Breathe – in… out… blink... in… out… blink…
Why didn’t I see this coming? All the signs were there. Why couldn’t I have done something?
Perry was just so angry with me. I did try to talk with him, didn’t I? Think, Dawn, think! Maybe if I’d tried harder, put more effort into finding him, pounded on his door harder, called his house more, busted out his bedroom window to crawl inside and force him to talk with me… There were so many things I could’ve done. Should have done. Why didn’t I do them? Why didn’t I tell Perry that I loved him back?
Maybe if I’d never got involved with Brian or never brought home Perry’s personal life story and laid it on my desk out in the open for Brian to see… Brian. What a dirty word that’s become to me now. I can’t say it anymore without it leaving a foul taste in my mouth. Everything is because of Brian. If only it had stayed just the two of us, Perry and me, none of this would have happened. We were happy. We could have stayed happy. Damn you Brian!
I grab the notebook and fling it across the room. It flaps through the air and slides across my desk and onto the floor along with some other papers that were on my desk. That isn’t enough though.
In a rage I grab handfuls of my comforter and pull it off the bed. Then my pillows, throwing them across the room. My bed sheets, the clock radio, the lamp and everything else I can get my hands on - thrown across the room. I tear the posters down from my walls and shred them, crushing them in my fists and throwing them to the floor. I pull out dresser drawers and fling them - with all my strength - against the wall, cracking the wood and the plaster.
Still, it isn’t enough.
I grab all my perfume bottles, ceramic and glass knickknacks and shatter them against the wall. Almost. Then as I grab the chair from under my desk and lift it as high as I can to take out my frustrations on the dresser mirror, the door swings open and my mom and dad stand in the doorway with their faces frozen in fear and shock. I stop. Suddenly I feel weak, and I drop the chair.
My memory of Elias is intimate but brief; I asked him, "what happened, where are you taking me, who are you? Tell me!"
In a calm voice; "Sara hush, you died.
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