Many thanks to NetGalley, Flatiron Books, and Macmillan Audio for gifting me an audio ARC of the debut novel by Fiona McPhillips and wonderfully narrated by India Mullen. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!
In the 1980s, Louise was the new student at Highfield Manor, Dublin’s most exclusive private school. Lou’s working-class status makes her the outsider, until she is befriended by some of her beautiful and wealthy classmates. However, Lou has a secret agenda and when she tries to bring the secret to light, her time at Highfield ends with a dead body. Thirty years later, Lou gets a phone call that a lawyer needs her to testify against the school. Married and with a troubled teenager of her own, Lou is torn between keeping her secret and confronting the past.
Wow - I thought this was a wonderful debut. It's dark and the subject matter of abuse is never easy, but McPhillips didn't exploit the situations. Instead, she crafted such a realistic, sinister environment and put you in the mindset of high school girls in the 1990s, before #MeToo. Then she contrasted that with a mother's instinct to hide the dark parts and protect her child, this was a very compelling read. There are themes of classism, toxic environments, social media impact. Great debut - can't wait to read more from this author!
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