The Cut — Daniel Blythe

“Blythe succeeds in conveying the neuroses and manipulative qualities of a dysfunctional, intelligent adolescent . . . Definitely an author to be watched” (New Woman).   It’s the end of the millennium in a remote seaside town, and eighteen-year-old Bel is bored. She’s had a comfortable life, but tensions stir and simmer in the salty air around her. She’s preoccupied by her growing hatred for her stepmother; her disillusionment; her taste for danger.   Drifting in and out of Bel’s life are the cynical JJ, the hapless Marcie, and the spoiled Damien. At the heart of it all, gleaming and bright, is the knife she carries, a talisman which will both define her and betray her as events start to spin out of control . . .   “[A] tense, street-smart novel with a mean streak . . . A sharp, observant, energetic writer with a nimble sense of language . . . The Cut has a macabre Gothic edge . . . A joy to read.” —The Times (London)   “A thriller with depth and edge.” —Maxim