Chloe Doe by Suzanne Phillips

Chloe Doe chronicles a 17-year-old girl's tumultuous path to becoming a prostitute and her ultimate transformation back into mainstream society. During her therapy at Madeline Parker Institute for Girls, Chloe slowly reveals aspects of her painful past--the stepfather who abused her sister, the mother who let it all happen, the need to love and be loved--and faces the future she finally decides to build for herself.

I liked this book. It was moving. Chloe Doe recalls what made her the way she is and how it happened. The book was a bit confusing. In the beginning you didn't know whether it was in the present or the past. I was very intrigued by Chloe. She has been through a lot. Being on the streets since she was eleven/twelve. Living in a foster home at twelve. Prostituting at age thirteen. Chloe shows you how harsh a world is, and the people who make it harsh. Like her step-father.

Suzanne Phillips is a great and very different writer. Her writing is completely different then I usually read. Her writing is cynical and abrasive. Harsh but very and much true. But often confusing. But in the end you understand the epic novel. Chloe is an amazing character I haven't read about before. This is a book I very much recommend.

Suzanne Phillips new book, Burn, will be released November 1st, 2008 in the United States and sometime in November for the United Kingdom. Here's the synopsis for Burn:

"Are our schools safe?" It's hard to turn on the news without hearing this question, and the answer is typically "no." This novel explores what happens when bullying escalates to violence, and it challenges our definition of victimization.

With thought-provoking prose, Suzanne Phillips explores the psyche of Cameron, a bullied freshman who ultimately does the unthinkable: he kills another student. As she did with Chloe Doe, Suzanne has found a way to make this seemingly dark story ultimately redemptive. But she also dares readers to look at the behavior that provokes violence as having the potential to be as dangerous as the violence itself.

It's Suzanne's hope that Burn will inspire readers to take a precautionary stance against bullying rather than waiting to react to it.

Look for it this November!

~Kelsey