STORY SUMMARY
Claudia Morgan is a single mother of 4 year old Henry. Henry's father, Devin, abandoned them years ago and has never been in contact with Claudia. Claudia is a massage therapist who has many clients in a chiropractic office. She doesn't have a lot of friends. Henry is enrolled in the Happy Start preschool, but he is a difficult child. He has several tantrums and just is very rambunctious. Even his teachers struggle to control him. Claudia is trying her best, though.
Claudia hears about a school out in the country that her neighbor Maggie sends her daughter to. It's called The Hawthorne School and they emphasize atypical teaching styles. They focus on time in nature/the woods and music, art and make believe. The head of the school, Zelma, will allow Claudia to volunteer some weekly hours in order to pay off the very high tuition.
The school is very good for Henry. He settles down and his "behavioral problems" disappear. He comes home very subdued vs full of rage. But....
There's something a little off about this school. It has very cold halls/rooms and Zelma is very odd. At times she seems like a loving grandmother and at other times she is cold hearted with a very stern appearance. When Henry comes home with stories about ceremonies in the woods, Claudia becomes concerned. The school has some very odd rules that seem to change often. Also, every one, from the youngest student right up to Zelma herself, must drink something each day with "little green" in it. No outside food is allowed into the school and no cell phones are allowed on campus. Everything they eat is grown there at the school.
Claudia's instincts begin to tell her that something is not right about The Hawthorne School...and all of a sudden, Devin, who has never met his son Henry nor shown any interest in getting back together with Claudia, shows up on campus. But......after he vocalizes his own concerns about this school and Zelma, he disappears!
Soon Claudia moves onto the campus in one of the dorms for parents. And soon she is caught up in a web of lies, manipulation and power.
Henry is "adopted" by Evelyn his teacher. Claudia is stripped of her car, finances, Henry's birth certificate, and her cell phone. She is basically a prisoner at the school.
Until one very cold evening when G arrives. Who is G?? and why does he want Henry?
MY THOUGHTS
This is a great book if you like fast-paced, suspenseful books.
The character development is rich and well established before you're even a quarter of the way into the story.
I could "feel" all of Claudia's frustrations and emotional turmoil.
The setting description is so well done and I kept thinking what a great movie this book would make.
Most of the themes in this story center around the bond between parent and child; the power of a narcissistic manipulator; and insecure parenting. It also touches on single parenthood.
It's a very believable story, somewhat...especially the parts about being so easily manipulated and controlled when one is unsure of one's self. The ending is of course pretty dramatic but I loved how the author included a police report to wrap everything up and the last chapter made my heart happy.
In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 14 and older.
On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this a 10.
1 comment:
This sounds good. Another one going on my list.
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