White Oleander

I'm on about page 309.  Astrid, the main character, has struggled through her fair share of nightmarish foster homes after watching her mother's arrest for killing her boyfriend.  Her first home was with an ex-stripper who preaches the word of god.  Astrid falls in love with her new foster mother's boyfriend and they end up having an affair until the foster mother finds out and shoots Astrid in a drunken frenzy.  Astrid recovers from her wounds and goes to live with a typical suburban family, and her role there is a live-in babysitter for the couple's other children and all around maid.  Astrid becomes friends with the neighbor, an elegant high-class prostitute.  Once her foster family finds out about their relationship, Astrid is sent away.  Her next home is with a delicate and caring lady named Claire and her husband.  Astrid loves it there, and they live like a family.  Claire and Astrid love each other very much, but Claire's mental health deteriorates as she starts to suspect her husband of an affair.  After a long fight one night Claire commits suicide and Astrid is sent to a children's center where she meets one of her first friends, Paul Trout, an aspiring cartoonist.  They are quickly separated to go to separate homes, but plan to keep in touch.  Astrid's next home is with a small group of seemingly grungy Russian girls.  This is as far as I've gotten, but Astrid's future doesn't look promising.  The most surprising part of this section is when Claire dies.  She is the closest thing to a mother that Astrid has ever had, even though she isn't the most mentally stable woman.  The setting changes commonly throughout the book, but it always lends itself to setting the mood.  A trailer on the outskirts for the ex-stripper, a blacktop front and back yard for the family that uses her as a live-in nanny and a clean, comfortable home for the family that she becomes part of.

I've really enjoyed this book so far.