The Swallows (Paperback)

A blistering, timely tale of revenge

From the author of The Passenger -hailed by The New York Times Book Review as "a dead-serious thriller (with a funny bone)" - and the bestselling Spellman Files series comes a suspenseful novel about a new teacher at a not-so-elite boarding school who accidentally incites a gender war among the students and staff.

When Alexandra Witt arrives at Stonebridge Academy and insists on moving into a ramshackle cottage in the woods, curiosity among the student body and the staff skyrockets. Who is this young teacher who came here alone, dresses like the kids, and left her last school under a cloud of speculation?

With its picturesque campus and classic uniforms, Stonebridge might look the part, but as Alex soon learns, it's anything but old school. When she advises one of her new students to stand up for herself, the girl takes her advice a little too much to heart. Long-simmering tensions between the boys and girls boil over into a fight. And then total war.

By the time Gemma, Alex's favorite student, starts uncovering Stonebridge's darkest secrets with the help of some unlikely allies, Alex's bumpy start has become a nightmare. Cast into a role she never wanted, she watches the spark she ignited consume everything around her. And the only way out might carry an even higher cost.

Told by four narrators, none of whom inspires total confidence, The Swallows unfolds with brilliant timing, puzzle-like plotting, and riveting storytelling that will shock and delight readers everywhere.

General

Imprint:	Titan Books Ltd
Country of origin:	United Kingdom
Release date:	September 2019
Authors:	Lisa Lutz
Dimensions:	198 x 130 x 37mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback
Pages:	528
ISBN-13:	978-1-78565-627-9
Categories:	Books > Fiction > Genre fiction > Adventure / thriller > General Books > Fiction > Genre fiction > Crime & mystery > General Promotions Books > Fiction > Promotions
LSN:	1-78565-627-9
Barcode:	9781785656279

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My review

Tue, 10 Dec 2019 | Review by: Breakaway R.

A funny, provocative and sharply observed novel New creative writing teacher Alex Witt sets her students at prep school Stonebridge Academy a simple writing assignment of five questions – “what do you love? What do you hate? If you could live inside a book, what book? What do you want? Who are you?” The answers she receives uncover some alarming truths about the social hierarchy at Stonebridge, including something known as ‘The Darkroom’, a website run by the schools’ male students. Horrified, Alex decides to form an alliance with a few of the female students to find out more about this disturbing concept, and her involvement sparks a movement that soon leads to an all-out war between the boys and girls which could have potentially devastating consequences. This was a clever concept for a story and was well executed, with plenty of laughs but also some uncomfortable moments and drama built into the fast-paced plot. It is written from multiple POVs including Alex, rebellious student Gemma and fellow teacher Mr Ford, who has been aware of the unpleasant goings-on at his school but turns a blind eye to it. I believe the story is meant to be over the top and outrageous, and whilst the concepts behind it appear extreme, they are unfortunately probably not too far from the reality in some schools. The author does a brilliant job of tackling sensitive subject matter in a way that feels light-hearted but doesn’t trivialise the very real issues of sexual exploitation that are still unfortunately very prominent, as brought to light recently with the #MeToo movement. As a woman, this book was both entertaining to read and also distressing, but the author manages to inject enough humour and positivity into her writing that it doesn’t feel bleak and depressing. Whilst the idea of the story was fantastic, certain elements of the book made it feel as if it wasn’t quite as good as it had potential to be and sadly it lacked a feeling of suspense that it seemed to set up to provide. I found it a bit difficult initially to get to grips with who was who out of the large cast of secondary characters, and some of them didn’t have very multi-dimensional personalities as a result of the sheer volume of them. The ending also felt like a bit of an anti-climax and wasn’t as exciting or as powerful as I’d hoped it was going to be. Overall, I enjoyed this book and would be keen to read more by this author. She clearly has a witty and imaginative mind and is a talented writer, but The Swallows needed a bit more tension and atmosphere to earn a five-star rating. Daenerys Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of this book to review.

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