The Sweet Edge

by Alison Pick

A realistic portrayal of the world of urban twenty-somethings, The Sweet Edge tells the story of a young couple who decide to go their own way for the summer in order to figure out their relationship. Ellen chooses to work in a trendy Toronto art gallery, while Adam takes a solo canoe trip into the Arctic tundra. The two characters alternate chapters and points-of-view: the reader frets with Ellen through an increasingly sweltering city, then journeys inside the young man’s head as he goes dangerously deep into wilderness. Their impressions of the world around them and their partnership gradually change, until their worlds — and their changed worldviews — suddenly and dangerously collide. Pick seamlessly weaves two distinct voices and two distinct settings into a single, sophisticated whole, making The Sweet Edge a beautifully written novel about the delicate balance between love and change.

Genres: Fiction, Canada, Book Club

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

ALISON PICK'S best-selling novel FAR TO GO was nominated for the Man Booker Prize and won the Canadian Jewish Book Award. It was a Top 10 Book of 2010 at NOW magazine and the Toronto Star, and was published to international acclaim. Alison was the winner of the 2002 Bronwen Wallace Award for the most promising writer in Canada under 35. Currently on Faculty at the Humber School for Writers and the Banff Centre for the Arts, she lives and writes in Toronto.

Reviews

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't believe Ellen took Adam back. He was a real jerk.

[Emma Willoughby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the paddling bits and I’m always a sucker for some Canadiana but both characters had times where they kind of sucked (except Adam sucked most of the time).

[Jordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good beach read, the characters are very relatable. If you want a book about a shitty man, and a cool woman coming into her own; this is the book for you.

[Carmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carefully crafted POVs, refreshing, light, introspective, fun. And with the Ontario wilderness and Toronto landscape grounding me throughout.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This uniquely-told novel tells the story of Ellen and Adam in the aftermath of their breakup. Adam immediately begins a one-man canoe trip for the entire summer, while Ellen stays in the city to work in an art gallery. Each chapter vacillates between the two characters, intermingling stories from their relationship with their current activities. Both change significantly throughout, and I couldn't think of a more perfect ending to the story. Fans of the film 500 Days of Summer will probably enjoy the story and the style.

[Meagan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my second book I have read of Alison Pick's. She is an excellent young Canadian author. This was her first book, and it's obvious she has quite a future in front of her. The book centers around 2 main characters and branches out. The book focuses on relationships - up's and downs, and how one must pick up and move on when the relationship becomes no longer that. One becomes quite entangled in the characters of this book, and I am sure everyone wants the same ending. However, it's really not the ending that was interesting, it was the journey.

[Buried In Print]

This review was deleted following Amazon's purchase of GoodReads.

The review can still be viewed via LibraryThing, where my profile can be found here.

I'm also in the process of building a database at Booklikes, where I can be found here.

If you read/liked/clicked through to see this review here on GR, many thanks.

[Stephanie Holt · Rating 4 out of 5]

The characters in this book felt real to me, like real people placed on the page. Their behaviour was sometimes deplorable and sometimes selfish, but I felt like I was in their heads thanks to Alison's writing. The imagery was delicious and she frequently surprised me with the way she connected the two separate stories using this tool. The ending was fitting for the story and I appreciate the respect she gave me, the reader.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty average tale of a couple who spends the summer apart to learn about themselves before they can focus on their reslatiosnhip. She stayisn Tornoto and hangs out with lesbians and he goes solo canoiing in Alaska and nearly dies. I can't really see what they see in each other, but she has the better summer....

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is probably more of a 3.5 for me. I liked the alternating perspectives as well as the story being filled in with flashbacks. On the negative side, it tended to be a bit too philosophical (especially Adam's perspective) and the supporting characters seemed one-dimensional. I'm sure the ending is not for everyone, but I quite liked it.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting method of telling the story - jumping back and forth between present day, and the characters' memories of the relationship.
SAD. Especially if you haven't had the most wonderful of romantic histories, yourself.

Interesting ending.

[Talea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hardly remember reading this book, but I remember that I liked it but the ending sort of wrecked the whole book.
I hate when books do that!!

[Meghan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quick summer read, cute story, but wasn't a huge fan of the writing itself.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the way this book was written. Easy to read and interesting. Took place in Toronto so lots of references to downtown which was cool.

[Rosalee Hughson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, just wish it ended better.

[Jen Morrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved this book, gives you a real life look at relationships and their small struggles.
the words are lyrical and brilliant.

[A Canadian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is poetry written as prose. Beautiful.

[Dan Awesome · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kind of a lame, cop-out ending, but a good read nonetheless.