Ecstasy

Description

Carrie and Mae-Ling both attend an exclusive private school in Sydney, but their backgrounds couldn't be more different. Carrie enjoys the lifestyle her successful father affords her, whilst Mae-Ling is an illegal immigrant from Vietnam. Trying to establish herself in a new country, Mae-Ling's mother has high expectations of her quiet, hard-working daughter. But now that daughter is lying in hospital with a suspected Ecstasy overdose. Sat in the waiting room, Carrie is faced with explaining to Mae-Ling's mother how her supposedly sweet and dutiful daughter is now fighting for her life. But Mae-Ling is not the only one hiding dark secrets. Only Carrie really knows what happened to Mae-Ling, but will she confess? "Ecstasy" is a moving story about the human spirit and the decisions which shape the human experience. The fluent, character-focused narrative delves right to the heart of a tougher side of life. This gripping, harrowing, but fulfilling story is packed with drama and emotion from one page to the next. "Ecstasy" is part of "The Cutting Edge series": fast-paced, quick reads for teens and young adults looking for fiction which chimes with their perspective on life.

Reviews

Readership v Teenagers and young adults Key features v Written by a successful, award-winning author. v Tackles contemporary teenage issues often ignored by mainstream fiction. v Adopts an honest, hard-hitting approach that will resonate with the audience. v Fast-paced, compelling and simply written narratives offer satisfying 'quick reads'. Marketing points v Quick reads have proved hugely popular with teens and young adults. v Published during the National Year of Reading which will focus on encouraging teens to read . v Meets need for fiction on contemporary teenage issues v Offers a hard-hitting yet refreshing alternative to mainstream teen fiction.

Author description

Alice Flanagan is a Sydney based author and mother of two. Following graduation from university, her career path was far from that of a writer and included several years as a teacher, then a career as a computer programmer and business analyst. Faced with the many challenges and emotions that go hand in hand with raising children as a single parent she was drawn, once again, to her own childhood and the desire to write. Her writing is inspired from her own life experiences, coupled with a strong desire, as a parent, to ensure our children's future. Ecstasy is her second novel. Her first, Raindance, was published in 2006.