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THE CHAPERONE by M Hendrix

THE CHAPERONE

by M Hendrix

Pub Date: June 6th, 2023
ISBN: 9781728284859
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

A teenager coming of age in a patriarchal dystopian America discovers the way of life she’s always known is not the only one possible.

Seventeen-year-old Stella lives a privileged life in New America: She is beautiful, White, and the daughter of one of the wealthiest men in the nation, which broke away from the part of the country they refer to as Old America. Despite her privilege, Stella’s existence is sheltered and circumscribed by the rules that keep women in their place in her society; since she turned 12 and got her first period, she has been under the care of Sister Helen, her beloved chaperone who supervises her at all times, ostensibly to protect her but really to indoctrinate her into her future role as a wife and mother. After Sister Helen dies under mysterious circumstances, she is assigned a replacement, Sister Laura, who encourages her to imagine a different future for herself. Before long, Stella is plotting her escape from New America, but she’s determined to do more than just save herself. Overall, Stella’s transformation feels stilted, with plot developments outpacing organic character growth. Stronger writing could have rendered her a more fully realized person whose responses to shocking events and later initiative and ability to effect change would feel more believable and cohesive.

An unconvincing foray into a dystopian future.

(reading list) (Dystopian. 14-18)