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dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
One of the most interesting things about this novel is the setting: a historic girl’s boarding school in England, the atmosphere was Gothic and imbued with the intensity of girlhood. This same intensity permeated the entire novel and leaked into the protagonist’s crush on the Headmaster’s wife, Mrs. S (although ‘crush’ feels like too juvenile a word).
In her early twenties, and working as a matron at the school, the protagonist is still grappling with her own adolescence and coming out, she is adrift in the space between the students and the staff, often aligning herself with ‘The Girls’. In her feelings towards Mrs S. she is caught between who she thinks Mrs S. wants her to be and who she actually is, while her friendship with another queer member of staff offers a way to properly see herself.
The men who feature in the novel are all portrayed as clueless and immature, grappling with power which they feel entitled to rather than having earned. There is something ridiculous about the men, excluded from the depth and weight of girlhood and womanhood, but they also present a dangerous threat in their attempts to exert control.
Although the novel is not without plot, the vibes definitely take centre stage. The refusal to give any of the characters proper names, and to instead refer to them by their role, only emphasises the way in which this is a transient time and a liminal space, one in which the same stories and emotions have been repeating within the boundaries of the school across the centuries. It managed to convey the drama of adolescence, but also the mundanity and the way in which it fails to live up to its own idea. The story felt timeless and haunting, and I know I will want to pick it up again soon.
In her early twenties, and working as a matron at the school, the protagonist is still grappling with her own adolescence and coming out, she is adrift in the space between the students and the staff, often aligning herself with ‘The Girls’. In her feelings towards Mrs S. she is caught between who she thinks Mrs S. wants her to be and who she actually is, while her friendship with another queer member of staff offers a way to properly see herself.
The men who feature in the novel are all portrayed as clueless and immature, grappling with power which they feel entitled to rather than having earned. There is something ridiculous about the men, excluded from the depth and weight of girlhood and womanhood, but they also present a dangerous threat in their attempts to exert control.
Although the novel is not without plot, the vibes definitely take centre stage. The refusal to give any of the characters proper names, and to instead refer to them by their role, only emphasises the way in which this is a transient time and a liminal space, one in which the same stories and emotions have been repeating within the boundaries of the school across the centuries. It managed to convey the drama of adolescence, but also the mundanity and the way in which it fails to live up to its own idea. The story felt timeless and haunting, and I know I will want to pick it up again soon.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual harassment and Homophobia
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