The Headmaster's Wife by Thomas Christopher Greene

The Headmaster's Wife by Thomas Christopher Greene
Buy The Headmaster's Wife by Thomas Christopher Greene at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: General Fiction
Reviewer: Zoe Page
Summary: A brilliant, daring book about a forbidden relationship, this is an intriguing story that will keep you guessing not only whodunit but also what they done.
Buy? Yes	Borrow? Yes
Pages: 288	Date: May 2014
Publisher: Corvus
ISBN: 9781782391715
Share on:

Arthur Winthrop leads a prestigious Vermont boarding school (sufficiently posh for him to be a headmaster, not a principal). Like his father before him, and his father’s father before that, it is what was always expected of him. The right thing to do. What is not the right thing to do, however, is to be caught wandering, naked, through Central Park in the middle of winter. Under questioning from the police, Arthur is keen to talk. Not about this episode, perhaps, but about other things on his mind. Like his interaction with a young student that has crossed the boundaries of an acceptable student-teacher relationship. It’s as if the flood gates have been opened and there’s no way to shut them now before everything has come gushing out.

This is a book of two parts and the ending to the first one is perhaps one of the most breath-taking cliff-hangers I’ve ever read. At that point there was no understanding that that would be a good place to stop and put down the book for a while, but instead it revved my interested and I couldn’t stand the thought of not continuing right then and there.

This is an emotional book so carefully crafted that even subtle sentences can have an impact on the reader, intriguing them, frightening them, amusing them or even, dare I say it, turning them on a little. I started reading this on a train and at one point I looked up and turned to the Boy, telling him My book just got really dirty…really fast.

The characters of Arthur, the student and his wife fit well alongside one another, and when it’s someone else’s turn to tell the story from the way they saw it, we get a wonderful insight into not only their mind but also Arthur’s, as we learn how the two versions of events contradict each other.

I did not see the twists and turns coming and that’s what made this book so delightful. It was like taking a blow to the chest when some of the reveals came, and I felt almost winded with the knowledge. The fluid writing really helped the story whip along and the story developed in extraordinary ways at an extraordinary pace. It is daring as well as emotional, but it was the acknowledgements page that really brought a lump to my throat.

I’d like to thank the publishers for sending us this utterly outstanding book

Drowning Instinct by Ilsa J Bick touches on the same themes, and is a brilliant read, as is On The Island by Tracey Garvis Graves

Please share on: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

You can read more book reviews or buy The Headmaster's Wife by Thomas Christopher Greene at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.

Comments

Like to comment on this review?

Just send us an email and we'll put the best up on the site.