The Edge of Nowhere is adult author Elizabeth George's first foray into young adult literature, and her adult fans (who will likely enjoy this book as well) will be delighted to share this title with their teens. As is her style, the author's focus is on characterization, and readers will be disappointed to leave their new friends when they finish this book. It is filled with interesting and imperfect people, whom teens will relate well to, perhaps recognizing pieces of themselves or people they know. Becca begins the story as an emotionally lost young girl, whose struggles to simply survive and wait for her mother to come for her lead to a coming of age of sorts. While the story doesn't revolve around drug and alcohol use, there are many clear indications that this lifestyle is a problem in this small community. A reformed alcoholic comes to terms with the fact that her drinking led to the death of her daughter several years earlier. Another character is hastily judgmental about a long-haired high school dropout, assuming the worst about drug use. The smoking habits of the "stoner" group at the high school are discussed. While the plot revolves around the mystery of what happened to Derric, the themes of drug use and teens trying to find themselves are mature enough that this book will likely be most appreciated by readers slightly older than the publisher's recommended age of twelve. Language is infrequent (b-tch, a-shole, pr-ck, h-ll). The great news for fans is that this is the first title in a series about Whidby Island.
