Young Adult Literature without Apology

Amy's assessment of contemporary young adult literature, organized by author and title, censored by noone.

Realistic | Romance | Science Fiction | Historical Fiction | Fantasy | Horror | Mystery

Hyde, Catherine Ryan (2006). Becoming Chloe. NY: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN: 0375832580.

The only thing that could have redeemed this novel would have been the death of the main characters. After teenaged Jordy--homeless and alone in New York city--stops the rape of Chloe, a girl he barely glimpses through the window of the cellar where he squats, the two begin an intense friendship based primarily on Chloe's helplessness and Jordy's selflessness. Hopelessly childlike, Chloe alludes to abuse suffered as a girl, but seems satisfied to feign ignorance to "bad" things. As a result, Chloe's characterization nears the stereotypic: the childish innocent carrying the weight of the world. Also, she can "communicate" with animals. Jordy, who at least admits to seeing the world a bit more clearly, charges himself Chloe's protector, and the two embark on a cross-country trip together in search of "beautiful things." This novel was so barfily sentimental and so teasing with its vague promise to reveal the details of Chloe's horrid past (P.S.: we never do find out what happened to her) that it is almost unreadable. Case in point: When Jordy is trying to convince a stablehand to rent the pair a horse so that Chloe can live one of her dreams of riding horseback across the beach, he wins the employee over with, "This is her last chance to see something better. It's like a huge important wish. How can you deny somebody like that a chance to see something better?" Of course, it works. Call me cynical, but I should have put this novel down when I found out it was written by the same person responsible for Pay it Forward.