The Whore of Babylon, A Memoir: A Novel

by Katrina Prado

Prado's latest novel centers on a mother who embarks on a mission to rescue her daughter from the mean streets of San Francisco. Margot Skinner can't bear to see her 15-year-old daughter, Robyn, dolled up in fishnets and spiked heels while her room devolves into a sty and her truancy and rebelliousness accelerate...Aided by two private investigators and a streetwise nun, Margot scours the notorious Tenderloin district in search of her runaway daughter, who may have fallen into the clutches of a local pimp named Blu Boy....Prado writes in a visceral present tense, elevating her drama with crisp, sensory details, as she skillfully employs the solid pacing and atmosphere of a crime novel....Prado commands a robust vocabulary and tells a searing tale laced with disturbingly candid insight...This taut mix of memoir, novel and crime drama succeeds through vivid writing and soulful revelations.

Genres: Fiction, Ebooks, Contemporary, Modern, Literary Fiction

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 29, 2010

Reviews

[Scott Langston]

So I'm assuming this is fiction, and some some poor woman's account of her own life...

I'm not sure any more police/crime/thriller clichés would fit into one book. 'Unbelievable' doesn't come close. There is no depth to the characters. It reads like an episode from a B-rated TV series.

[Carrie Hill]

It was overall a good story. I didn't feel that the characters were fleshed out as well as they could have been; there wasn't a lot of depth, even with the secondary characters that are inherent to the story, and who are critical to the protagonist's POV/life -- particularly the husband, Rob. It would have added quite a lot more to the book if that had been addressed. I did like the progression of events as they unfolded, though. I don't think I'd read it again, but wouldn't advise anyone NOT to read it.

[Neil]

Frustrating. Reading this this was my main feeling. There was no engagement with the child throughout only condemnation. You are exposed to the mothers feelings and her frustrations but the main person who is the daughter is ignored. I wanted to shout at the mother just to engage but it was all about her. OK read but be prepared to see how not to do parenting.