Becoming
Chloe by
Catherine Ryan Hyde
***Spoilers Below***
One of my all-time favorite
books is Becoming Chloe, by Catherine
Ryan Hyde. I first read it a few years ago after borrowing it from a friend for
the ride home from a school trip. What was supposed to be a borrowed book
quickly became a you-aren't-getting-this-back-till-I-get-my-own-copy book. The
book is short and simple, but it makes you stop and really look at and appreciate
the world around you.
The book follows the life of
Jordy, a 17-year-old boy living alone in New York City with no one but to trust
but himself. His family cuts off all ties with him, leaving him emotionally and
physically scarred. Alone and penniless, he can barely support himself when he
stumbles upon a girl by the name of Wanda Johnston. Seemingly unstable, Jordy
feels that his only option is to befriend this strange girl, who changes her
name to Chloe in a way of shedding a part of her past life. Jordy doesn't know
a lot about her past, but he decides after a series of events that compromise
their so called home, that he and Chloe will move out of the main city and into
a small house with an elderly man. However, just when life seems to be all
right, the old man dies, sending Chloe into a depression that even Jordy can't
seem to help her overcome. In an act of desperation, Jordy decides to take
Chloe on a road trip to show her that the world is beautiful and life is worth
living.
 |
| www.goodreads.com |
As Jordy and Chloe hit the
road, Catherine Ryan Hyde shows us the beauty of the little things in life—things
some of us don't even notice. With a simple, yet beautiful style of writing,
she makes Jordy and Chloe’s lives very real, and a part of each and every one
of us. Jordy represents he bravery, and occasional rashness, while Chloe is the
innocence and vulnerability hidden within us.
Traveling throughout the
United States, we, along with Jordy and Chloe, rediscover the world we all live
in, yet know so little about. Starting from New York City, they drive a red
pick up truck through the Grand Canyon, up to Angel Fire and all the way down
to Big Sur, California to ride horses on the beach. The road trip takes us all
over the map of U.S.A and shows us all the beautiful things, places, and people
out in the country.
The
epitome of 'short and sweet', Becoming
Chloe is a book that can be read over and over, and whose message will
never grow old: "The world is as terrifying as it is beautiful and as
beautiful as it is terrifying."
By: Suchita Chadha
