Jess Walker, middle child of a middle class family, has perfected the art of vanishing in plain sight. But when she arrives at a concrete university campus under flat, grey, East Anglian skies, her world flares with colour.
Drawn into a tightly-knit group of rule breakers - led by their maverick teacher, Lorna Clay - Jess begins to experiment with a new version of herself. But the dynamic between the friends begins to darken as they share secrets, lovers and finally a tragedy. Soon Jess is thrown up against the question she fears most: what is the true cost of an extraordinary life?
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[It's hard to say who I fell in love with first]***
(@BloomsburyBooks, 25 June 2020, 352 pages, e-book, #ARC from the publisher via # NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed)
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I'd never heard of the author or book before but decided I had to read this after I'd seen a lot of buzz online about the book. I'm glad I did because this is a terrific read. I really enjoyed the time I spent with the novel. I've read other novels set on a campus and this has a lot of similar traits and themes. It reminds me a lot of The Secret History by Donna Tartt. Though Tartt's book is much, much darker. Jess is the first person narrator and I enjoyed seeing the story through her eyes. It's clear from the start that she's fixated on Lorna, her hip professor, elevated to her position because she's a successful writer. Lorna is a horrible person and clearly uses the adoration of certain pupils to her own means. The story ends up being much darker towards the end as Jess starts to see Lorna's real face and discovers her secrets. The book is well written and engaging and I was quickly caught up in it. The characters are fleshed out as well. I also really enjoyed the references to Agatha Christie because Lorna is an obsessive fan and teaches Christie's work in her class.