Clean

Amy Reed

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teenage addiction recovery

suburban rehab center setting

multiple perspectives storytelling

realistic portrayal of rehab

diversity in characters

brisk pacing with short chapters

emotional narrative in contemporary ya

group therapy and personal essays

personal growth and healing journeys

raw emotion in writing style

'Clean' by Amy Reed is a novel that delves into the lives of five teenagers - Olivia, Jason, Christopher, Eva, and Kelly - who find themselves in a rehab center due to their various addictions. The story is told from multiple points of view, primarily focusing on Christopher and Kelly, as they navigate through rehab, confront their pasts, and strive for sobriety. The book incorporates chapters about group sessions, personal essays, and drug and alcohol questionnaires, providing a raw and realistic portrayal of the teenagers' journey towards recovery and self-discovery.

Characters:

The characters are diverse and well-developed, each representing different struggles with addiction and embodying relatable personal journeys of growth and healing.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style combines beautiful prose with raw emotion, leveraging multiple perspectives and storytelling formats to enhance the narrative's depth and realism.

Plot/Storyline:

The narrative follows five teenagers navigating their rehab journeys, addressing their diverse addictions and personal backgrounds, while interlacing their stories through various therapeutic formats.

Setting:

Set in a suburban rehab center, the environment significantly influences the characters' growth and interactions throughout their recovery process.

Pacing:

The pacing is brisk, driven by short chapters and diverse formats, keeping readers engaged while exploring the emotional weight of the characters' experiences.

Notes:

The novel features five main characters: Kelly, Jason, Eva, Christopher, and Olivia, each representing different teenage struggles and backgrounds.

The story is set in a drug rehabilitation center, addressing the real-life challenges of addiction and recovery.

Clean is not a happy book, but it is described as a hopeful one, focusing on redemption and self-discovery.

The characters come from diverse backgrounds, yet their shared struggle with addiction binds them together.

The narrative style includes multiple perspectives, with most of the story told through the eyes of Kelly and Christopher, supplemented by essays and group therapy dialogues.

Each character has different addictions, such as alcohol, cocaine, diet pills, and meth, reflecting varied reasons for their substance use.

The book portrays a realistic and raw depiction of teenage life and addiction without romanticizing it.

The dialogue and language in Clean are often described as brutal and unapologetic, making the characters' struggles feel authentic.

It aims to raise awareness about addiction among teens, emphasizing that anyone can be affected, regardless of their social status.

Readers note that while the story explores heavy themes, it also delivers moments of emotional connection and truth, making it a powerful read.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Content warnings for Clean include drug use, alcohol abuse, discussions of rape, mental health issues, and depictions of emotional trauma.

From The Publisher:

From the author of Beautiful, a poignant, captivating novel about five teens in rehab.

Olivia, Kelly, Christopher, Jason, and Eva have one thing in common: They're addicts. Addicts who have hit rock bottom and been stuck together in rehab to face their problems, face sobriety, and face themselves. None of them wants to be there. None of them wants to confront the truths about their pasts. And they certainly don't want to share their darkest secrets and most desperate fears with a room of strangers. But they'll all have to deal with themselves-and one another-if they want to learn how to live. Because when you get that high, there's nowhere to go but down, down, down.

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About the Author:

Amy Reed is the author of the contemporary young adult novels Beautiful, Clean, Crazy, Over You, Damaged, Invincible, Unforgivable, The Nowhere Girls, and The Boy and Girl Who Broke the World. She is also the editor of Our Stories, Our Voices. She is a feminist, mother, and quadruple Virgo who enjoys running, making lists, and wandering around the mountains of western North Carolina where she lives. You can find her online at AmyReedFiction.com.

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