J is a student at a school deep in a forest far away from the rest of the world. J is one of only twenty-six students, all of whom think of the school’s enigmatic founder as their father. J’s peers are the only family he has ever had. The students are being trained to be prodigies of art, science, and athletics, and their life at the school is all they know—and all they are allowed to know. But J suspects that there is something out there, beyond the pines, that the founder does not want him to see, and he’s beginning to ask questions. What is the real purpose of this place? Why can the students never leave? And what secrets is their father hiding from them? Meanwhile, on the other side of the forest, in a school very much like J’s, a girl named K is asking the same questions. J has never seen a girl, and K has never seen a boy. As K and J work to investigate the secrets of their two strange schools, they come to discover something even more mysterious: each other.
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That was one of the strangest things I've ever read 😳
Summary
Note: This book is a very slow burn, slice of life plot. The less you know going in, the more impactful it will be. So I tried to keep this synopsis really vague. But I recommend skipping it regardless if this is a book you're interested in picking up.
J attends a prestigious boarding school. Him and the other alphabet boys live and attend school in a tower in the woods, overseen by D.A.D. J has been feeling different lately, like there is something he is missing. Then one day, a book appears in all the boy's rooms, one that tells them of secrets the school has been keeping from them. Now J is questioning everything and his loyalty to the only family he's ever know.
Overview
Few things I feel like you should know about this
1. While this books is suspenseful it would classify this more as speculative fiction than horror. It takes a creepy idea and we watch how it plays out. This is not by any means a scary book.
2. The characters are "named" letters. I didn't find this confusing at all, but I know a lot of people have commented that they thought it was.
3. This is a slow burn book. It starts out very much slice of life of these boys at boarding school. I love a slow, character driven book. And the tone and writing style pulled me and captured me immediately.
Content Warnings: Abandonment, Murder, Child abuse
What I Liked
1. This is one of the strangest, most unique, and intense concepts I've ever read. Like I said above, this is definitely a slow burn plot. But it was absolutely worth it. Malerman's writing is captivating and I couldn't put this down once it got going.
2. This takes place at a "boarding school", which is one of my favorite bookish settings. The school was so foreboding and atmospheric. I was always on edge, waiting for the shoe to drop.
3. This. Ending. Wow. The last quarter of this book was outstanding. I did not see the twist coming and it was perfectly executed.
What I Didn't Like
1. I actually wish the synopsis had been MORE vague! If you happen to not have read it, I would recommend not doing so! I think this book would have had a bigger impact had I not know some of the info. The synopsis tells you that there are 2 schools, 1 for boys and 1 for girls. But you don't meet the girls school until well past the halfway point. I wish it had been left out - it would have been more impactful!
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