BECOMING CHLOE is the story of a bond between two “throwaway” street teens. Our narrator, Jordy, is a gay 17-year-old boy who left home suddenly under mysterious—obviously violent—circumstances. Chloe is an 18-year-old girl who slipped through the cracks of the child protective system. They meet when they find themselves sleeping in the same cellar in Manhattan. Chloe seems simple, almost mentally and emotionally disabled, but when she needs to be “smart” she seems to manage. In time Jordy discovers that she is carrying layers of defense against the abuse she’s suffered, and, as it falls away, she becomes so depressed and unguarded that he’s afraid—rightfully afraid—that he’ll lose her. They end up embarking on a trip across the country together—in an old pickup, on bicycles, hitchhiking, by bus. It’s Jordy’s last desperate attempt to prove to Chloe that the world can be a beautiful place—even though he isn’t entirely sure he believes it himself. "Tender, amazingly hopeful and only occasionally sentimental" This deeply affecting novel by the author of Pay It Forward begins with the intersection of two nearly-lost lives." "It is an adult novel with heart, wit, adorable characters and a lot to say about the meaning of life."
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 Cover art courtesy of Alfred A. Knopf. On sale NOW |
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