His Favorites by Kate Walbert
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A ponderous retrospective from a regret-filled narrator who still swims through the murkiness and guilt of a young adulthood marked by tragedy, abandonment, and failed support systems. Jo, our narrator, found herself in a prestigious boarding school mid-way through high school after a horrible accident claimed the life of her best friend. This new place is fortress-like in its traditions and secrecy, and we learn those apply also to the lengths others will go to look the other way when horrible acts are occurring. This is the story of vulnerable children, one very charismatic and horrible teacher, and the system that sacrifices the former and protects the latter. I really enjoyed the way this story artfully probed memory as history, too.
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