BOOK LAUNCH
6—7pm Wednesday 10 August
Muse, East Hotel, Kingston Canberra ACT
Holden Sheppard - The Brink
Meet Holden in conversation with Ainslie Football Club co-captain Matt Teasdale
Tickets: $10
A group of school-leavers: free at last, ready to party, expectations high.
A group of school-leavers: free at last, ready to party, 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.
Holden Sheppard is an award-winning author born in Geraldton, Western Australia. His debut novel, Invisible Boys (Fremantle Press, 2019), was published to both critical and commercial success. It won the WA Premier’s Prize for an Emerging Writer, was shortlisted for the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards and was named a Notable Book by the Children’s Book Council of Australia. Invisible Boys is currently in production as a television series.
Matt Teasdale grew up in rural Victoria before moving to Canberra in 2016 to study a double bachelor of International Relations, and Middle East and Central Asian Studies at ANU. He has realised that his passion is for helping young people, and is currently undertaking a Secondary Teaching Masters at the University of Canberra.
Matt is the co-captain of the Ainslie Football Club Men's First Grade team, and also works at the club overseeing their junior football operations. He is passionate about the positive role sporting clubs can play in the community, and is fascinated by the interplay between Australian sporting culture and masculinity, especially in Australian rules football.
Venue
Muse, East Hotel
69 Canberra Ave, Kingston ACT
T: (02) 6178 0024