★★★★★
Elisabeth Thomas’ debut Catherine House is about a young woman named Ines after she is accepted into an elite university where students are required to have no communication or access to the outside world for the duration of their undergraduate studies. Catherine House is an enigma. The only thing anyone knows about the school is that it produces some of the most influential and powerful people in America. I picked this book up because it was the September pick for the Literally Dead Book Club (You can find the Goodreads group here) and was excited to start it. Before opening the book, I looked at the ratings on Goodreads and saw that it quite the polarising novel with a mix of positive and negative reactions. I can say that when I began reading, I didn't expect it to become a new favourite. It exceeded my expectations as it pulled me into the atmosphere of Catherine House.
“Your hands are on the table.
The table is in the hall, across the yard, in the house.
The house is in the woods.
In the woods, across the yard, in your hands, is the cup.
The cup is in your hands.
Your hands are in the house.”
The first thing I noticed about the story was the style of writing. Told from the first perspective, we casually follow Ines' thoughts. Short sentences and small details perfectly reflect Ines' state of mind, such as her apathy to her studies and her sense of directionlessness. I thought the pace of the writing worked well and read comfortably. I think a common criticism is that the writing doesn't fully explore the mystery or explain some of the scientific language used, but it didn't bother me too much. I think the vagueness tied well into the story and central themes overall.
As mentioned earlier, Catherine House follows Ines as she attends the mysterious school as she studies an undergraduate degree. For three years, students must devote themselves to Catherine for them to succeed outside of it. Everything at Catherine is free. Tuition, food, housing, as long as they agree not to have contact with the outside world until they leave.
Ines has a rebellious spirit. She parties too much, does not study hard enough, and forms an unlikely bond with her roommate Barbara, also known as Baby, but that changes when tragedy arrives wrapped in mysterious circumstances. Ines begins to dig deeper into the secrets of Catherine House, particularly those belonging to the class of M. Neptune.
Ines is a young woman running from her past. Seeking help from a high school teacher after a traumatic event ultimately sets her on the path to Catherine. We never have all the details, but we know enough to know that it was something that would make you want to disappear. Throughout her first year at Catherine, she doesn't bother attending classes or studying, preferring to party and sleep with her classmates. (note: Ines has relationships with both men and women, but never explicitly states an identity). She's the complete opposite of Baby, who studies all hours of the day, nearly driving herself to insanity all for the sake of working with Catherine's elusive scientific concentration known as Plasm. After a tragic event involving Baby occurs, it shifts Ines' motivation as she begins to untangle the mysteries of Catherine. Aside from Baby, Ines also shares an interesting dynamic with the school’s director, Viktória. Their dynamic evolves over Ines’ time at Catherine as we see how she's able to influence the minds of her students. I won't say anymore.
Catherine House is a fictional school, but it reminds me of all the prestigious boarding schools I heard about growing up and the dark underbellies that live in places like that. Only the best students get into Catherine House. The school has an almost mythic reputation. Founded in Pennsylvania by Transcendentalists instead of the traditional Puritans, Catherine is different because of its free education, curriculum, and that many graduates are reluctant to speak on what happened there. The only time Catherine had revealed any of what goes on there was years ago when a former teacher released a report on some of the scientific experiments that occurred at the school, which led to years of wild speculation and conspiracy theories.
“I don’t know. I’m scared that out there,
someday I’ll look around and realize forty years have passed
and no one can see me. That I’m gone.”
A major theme throughout the text is transformation. Catherine House is a place to be reborn. A place to become disciplined. Students are encouraged to forget their past lives (they're told not to speak about it ever) and focus on what they could achieve. In essence, it's the perfect place for reinvention, but reinvention comes with a cost. Would you devote your entire self to an institution for three years so you could have a better life? I think people would.
Overall, Catherine House is an addicting debut that hooks you from the opening scene. If you're a fan of school settings, dark academia, or Literary Fiction I highly recommend this book.
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