Madam - Put on Your TBR For 2021!
Madam is a debut novel and centers on Rose, a twenty-something Classics teacher who is headhunted for a position at Caldonbrae, an elite all-girl boarding school on the Scottish coast. She is the first new member of staff in many years. On arrival, it soon becomes clear that Rose is totally out of her depth and is overwhelmed by the demeanor of the girls in her classes, the mystery surrounding her predecessors departure and the intrusion of the school into her personal affairs.
The answers as to why something is amiss are always tantalizingly out of reach. I kept thinking of Sergeant Howie arriving on Summerisle in The Wicker Man. Everyone knows the terrible truth of the place but him. This is the situation Rose finds herself in. Eventually, after many uncomfortable and disorientating weeks, Rose is finally through her probation period and is finding her feet when Caldonbrae begins to give up its secrets and Rose learns what dark purpose lies behind its walls. Not wanting to spoil the plot, I think it’s safe to say that this unveiling appalls Rose and culminates in a dramatic conclusion.
The narrative is interspersed with tales of women from Greek mythology and Roman history. At first I found this a bit disorientating as it took me out of the story - but I soon enjoyed reading these and felt I was learning along with the girls and being party to their feminist awakening. Their inclusion really makes sense of the conclusion of the book.
I enjoyed this book, and I’m still thinking about it days after finishing it. I initially felt somewhat conflicted about Rose and her actions. My own inclination in some of the situations she finds herself in would be very different as I’m not one for putting up with any nonsense, especially not from men. However, I’m sure we can all think we would do a certain thing but actually in the moment would be just as paralyzed as Rose seems to be. I keep considering her position - she’s young, grieving and navigating a difficult relationship with her mother, and now she finds herself trapped in the disorientating and nightmarish world of Coldenbrae, more living thing than building of wood and stone, with its many tentacles reaching far into society and threatening Rose and her future if she ran away.
Gothic elements are all deliciously present here - this would be a great read for a suitably dark and gloomy weekend. Sea mists, forbidding weather, long, dark and lonely corridors.. I love it all.
This was my first time reviewing an ARC. It’s been such a pleasure to be able to read a book ahead of its publication date. It feels a little like being let in on a secret. Many thanks to Phoebe Wynne for her words and to Net Galley and Quercus Books for the opportunity to read them in exchange for this honest review.
Madam will be published in February 2021 and gets a solid 3/5 stars from me.
Don’t want to miss anything on the site? Sign up for our newsletter HERE
Want more spooky reads? Just search below.
