Pushing the Limits

The novel is told in the voices of Echo and Noah, in interweaving chapters that compliment and build on one another to form a beautifully poignant dialogue between these two troubled souls. Echo is a straight-A student who used to be popular and sociable, but is haunted by the loss of her brother and the mysterious scars that snake her arms - reminders of a past that she cannot remember. Similarly haunted by his past and separated from his two younger brothers, Noah has begun to derail, losing all ambition and faith. The two are thrown together by Mrs Collins, the new school clinical social worker, who assigns Echo as Noah’s tutor. Despite getting off on the wrong foot, Echo and Noah are drawn to each other and plan to help one another find the truths they have been looking for, but as they move into each others' worlds they grow closer developing a wonderful and profound bond. 

 

Pushing the Limits is a truly beautiful love story, offset by two poignant and suspenseful subplots, full of emotion and substance. On her website Katie McGarry says that she hopes one day someone will read her book so much that the cover falls off - and I suspect that with Pushing the Limits her hopes will be realised.