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A review by nothingforpomegranted
The Teacher by Freida McFadden
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I kind of ruined the experience of this book for myself because I decided to read reviews midway through finishing the book, and, of course, those were replete with spoilers. As I read, I was again reminded that every time I read mysteries and thrillers, I really enjoy them, so I'm not quite sure why I am so rarely inclined to pick them up. In this case, I was looking for something that would keep me entertained on a Friday filled with cooking after the hectic first week of school. I suppose I should have expected that a thriller called The Teacher with a knife right on the cover would be dark, but I wasn't quite expecting this level of darkness.
The story is told from two different perspectives. We meet Eve, a math teacher married to the handsome, beloved English teacher at Kasam High School. Eve is dissatisfied in her marriage with her three kisses a day, despite Nate's seemingly flawless approach to life. Then, we are introduced to Addie, who is the only student that Eve worries about having on her roster. Last year, Addie was central to a scandal involving Eve's mentor, a kind, compassionate math teacher who offered support to Addie after the death of her father and on whom Addie leaned a bit too heavily, leading to accusations of an inappropriate relationship. Indeed, this set up plants the seeds for the rest of the novel: McFadden sets up a series of extremely unlikeable and unreliable narrators. As Addie enters into a relationship with Nate, Eve becomes suspicious and paranoid, despite her own affair with her shoe salesman. And in the second half of the book, everything kind of goes off the rails. Addie stalks Nate, and the two of them end up killing Eve and burying her in a pumpkin patch. Except...it turns out Eve is alive. She comes back to haunt Nate, using the text of his favorite poem, "The Raven," against him. Then, Eve and her own lover bury Nate alive, except they do it on purpose. And on top of all that, Addie's bully who made her life miserable all semester and seemed to be dating Addie's former best friend was actually Nate's previous student affair, and she winds up being the glue that sticks everything together, finally convincing Addie that this affair was unhealthy and not her fault.
This was entertaining and dramatic, but so dark and icky. I'm not sure I'll become a Freida McFadden devotee, but she's having a moment, and I wouldn't be opposed to picking up another of her novels.
The story is told from two different perspectives. We meet Eve, a math teacher married to the handsome, beloved English teacher at Kasam High School. Eve is dissatisfied in her marriage with her three kisses a day, despite Nate's seemingly flawless approach to life. Then, we are introduced to Addie, who is the only student that Eve worries about having on her roster. Last year, Addie was central to a scandal involving Eve's mentor, a kind, compassionate math teacher who offered support to Addie after the death of her father and on whom Addie leaned a bit too heavily, leading to accusations of an inappropriate relationship. Indeed, this set up plants the seeds for the rest of the novel: McFadden sets up a series of extremely unlikeable and unreliable narrators. As Addie enters into a relationship with Nate, Eve becomes suspicious and paranoid, despite her own affair with her shoe salesman. And in the second half of the book, everything kind of goes off the rails. Addie stalks Nate, and the two of them end up killing Eve and burying her in a pumpkin patch. Except...it turns out Eve is alive. She comes back to haunt Nate, using the text of his favorite poem, "The Raven," against him. Then, Eve and her own lover bury Nate alive, except they do it on purpose. And on top of all that, Addie's bully who made her life miserable all semester and seemed to be dating Addie's former best friend was actually Nate's previous student affair, and she winds up being the glue that sticks everything together, finally convincing Addie that this affair was unhealthy and not her fault.
This was entertaining and dramatic, but so dark and icky. I'm not sure I'll become a Freida McFadden devotee, but she's having a moment, and I wouldn't be opposed to picking up another of her novels.