Life in Dawson, ND spins on as she grasps at people, pleading for someone to save her—to return her to the simple childhood of unicorns on her bedroom wall and stories on her father’s knee.
When Troy Christiansen walks into her life, Chelle is desperate to believe his arrival will be her salvation. So much so, she forgets to save herself. After experiencing a tragedy at school, her world begins to crack, causing a deeper scar in her already fragile psyche.
Follow Chelle’s twisted tale of modern adolescence, as she travels down the rabbit hole into a reality none of us wants to admit actually exists.
Author Bio:
White Chalk has been hailed as “brave”, “raw”, and “destroyingly beautiful”. In line with novels such as White Oleander, Thirteen Reasons Why and Gemma, White Chalk invites you to witness one girl’s heartrending story of confusion and desperation.
Award winning author of multi-cultural and
transgressive literature, Pavarti K Tyler is an artist, wife, mother and number
cruncher. She graduated Smith College in 1999 with a degree in Theatre. After
graduation, she moved to New York, where she worked as a Dramaturge, Assistant
Director and Production Manager on productions both on and off Broadway. Later,
Pavarti went to work in the finance industry several international law firms.
She now lives with her husband, two daughters and one very large, very terrible
dog. She keeps busy working with fabulous authors as the Director of Marketing
at Novel Publicity and penning her next genre bending novel.
White
Chalk (Evolved Publishing) marks Tyler’s third full
length novel and promises readers familiar with her work the same mind bending experience. Her other projects include: Shadow on the Wall (Fighting Monkey
Press) and Two Moons of Sera
(Fighting Monkey Press). Shadow on the Wall has been received
many awards: Winner of the General Fiction/Novel Category of the 2012 Next
Generation Indie Book Awards, Winner in the Fiction: Multicultural category for
The 2012 USA Best Book Awards, and Finalist in the Multicultural Fiction
category for the 2012 International Book Awards.
White Chalk has been hailed as “brave”, “raw”, and “destroyingly beautiful”. In line with novels such as White Oleander, Thirteen Reasons Why and Gemma, White Chalk invites you to witness one girl’s heartrending story of confusion and desperation.
I wanted to be smaller, to fold myself up until I was too tiny to be hurt, to disappear. I would float away like a speck of dust, no more than a passing thought to those who noticed me.
Thirteen year old Chelle has a life that is anything but happy. Her world is full of people who are incapable of giving her the love and care that most thirteen year olds receive to flourish and grow. Her home life is full of dysfunction. Her father is a barely around, but when he is, he is drunk and uncaring. At times abusive, both physically, and more often than not, emotionally. Her mother spends most of her time at work and for the most part Chelle is left to fend for herself. She is bullied on a regular basis at school and taken advantage of and used by an adult in a position of authority.
He looked up only once, and by the smirk on his wide full lips, I knew I'd been caught staring. It didn't really matter. I'd fallen instantly and obsessively in love, but not the kind of teenage drama crap you might expect. No, this was the real soul-wrenching kind of love. I'd never be the same again.
Then Troy Christiansen enters her world and she thinks he will be the one to save her. He offers her friendship and a shoulder to lean on when things get tough. But Chelle wants more. She is so completely and utterly in love with him. She drops everything to spend time with him, always hoping that his friendship will turn to something more.
White Chalk is not a story that will fill your heart with joy. it is not a book that will have you grinning from ear to ear as you read it. It is not a book that will have you swooning over the gorgeous guy and falling in love. White Chalk is gritty and raw. It is full of deeply flawed individuals and is at times depressing and heartbreaking. Chelle will make your heart ache for her. She will make you want to reach into the pages of the book just so you can hold her and give her love. She will make you cry for her. Every single time she placed herself in a situation that would end badly, or she was taken advantage of, or she was knocked down, I prayed that she would find the strength to get back up.
Troy doesn't come from the most stable of homes himself but despite his flaws, I liked him. I liked that he stood up for Chelle. I liked that despite their age difference they had a connection. Yes he made some really dumb decisions at times and those decisions impacted so much on Chelle, but then everything he did had an impact on her because she placed so much belief in him.
A character that really surprised me was Cat. I didn't like her at first. She was abrupt and snarky when it came to Chelle. But then she was so much older than her. But she was a ray of light. She was supportive and kind, offering a shoulder to lean on.
Pavarti K. Tyler's writing is exceptional. She has tackled so many hard hitting subjects and woven them all together to create a deeply moving and emotionally gripping novel. There were many times that we glimpsed darkness throughout Chelle's story, but it was the ending that was the darkest of all. If you want to take a look at the sad realities of life that some teens are suffering through, then pick yourself up a copy of White Chalk.
5/5 Deeply Real Stars
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Thank you so much for taking the time to read and review White Chalk! I really appreciate your thoughts. Have a great day!
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