The Divines

YA chiller 

"Gerry Lake looked like a bird with a broken wing--something small and green and feathered, lying there in the middle of the lawn--a budgirigor...Her tights were ripped, sequins scattered, her ice skates landed beside her on the grass.

     The younger years thought it was part of our dares.  A joke.  A prank."

     Yes, dear readers, I have discovered yet another rot at the roots of the posh private school narrative.  Grab your passports.  We're headed to England.

     The setting of Ellie Eaton's The Divines, St. John the Divine, is an elite private school.  The Divines, its students, are entitled, thoughtless, and imperious--rude not only to the townies, but to all in charge of them.  They do as they damn well please even when it involves law breaking.  One of their favorite traditions, Dare Night, involves practical jokes that often cross the line into vandalism.  Mothers for whom those privileged years were the pinnacle of their existence constitute an Old Girls network.

     Joe (Josephine--another tradition was going by boys' names) is the daughter and granddaughter of super stuck alumni.  She's also the roommate of Gerry, the competitive ice skater who is discovered silent and broken on the grass.  Neither victim nor perpetrator of a prank, she is critically injured in a fall from a dorm window.  Soon the grounds are swarming with police and angry parents are taking their daughters away from a place they no longer consider safe.

     In alternating chapters Joe narrates the story from two perspectives.  As her teen self she paints a vivid picture of her boarding school experience in the months leading up to the tragic discovery and its aftermath.  As an adult she's married and parenting but secretly obsessed with learning exactly what happened that night.

     If you're a chiller affecianado you'll find The Divines to be the cat's pajamas.

On a purrrsonal note, last Friday at Commuter Lounge we had the first event I planned and arranged.  It was a collaboration with the International Students Office.  We had refreshments and a game and bling in the form of Commuter Lounge travel mugs.  The game was to individually or in a team draw a map of the Orono/Old Town area.  Some people participated enthusiastically while others socialized or played chess.  For the first time since the great before the Commuter Lounge really came to life.  We had over people.  But it wasn't just numbers.  It was the enthusiasm and intimacy and unguarded joy of the group.  The energy.  It showed me that we can bring the Commuter Lounge back in spirit as well as attendance.  (Jules)

And then she came home and we had weekend.  My favorite part of the week.  I bet it's yours too.  (Tobago)

A great big shout out goes out to all the participants.

Tobago and Jules Hathaway 

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