When Rose Christie found out that she got the job at Caldonbrae Hall, one of the most prestigious boarding schools in Scotland, she could hardly believe it. At only 26, she didn’t have the most teaching experience, and then she was offered the job of not just teaching but being Head of Classics there. It would be a significant step up for her. The one thing she was worried about, though, was her mother. Her mother was having health issues, and Rose was worried about moving away from Kent, where she could check in on her easily.
Still, she couldn’t refuse the job. So Rose packed up everything she owned (not all that much, really) and moved into the staff housing at Caldonbrae. She got there right before the term started, so she didn’t have much time to settle in before she started teaching.
Things were a little bumpy at first, the girls testing her to see how far they could push her. They weren’t all that excited about learning Latin, but Rose kept after them and started to win them over with stories of strong ancient women and goddesses. And when she finds out that the school has moved her mother into a new care home, a nicer one, and that they are taking care of the costs, Rose is stunned. She wants to refuse their help with her mother, but her mother is very excited about the new home, and Rose wants her to be happy.
But there are things at Caldonbrae that Rose finds unsettling. There are meetings she is left out of and her requests to meet with the Headmaster get dismissed. No one is talking about the teacher she had been hired to replace, which she finds odd, and then she hears about a student who had died the previous school year. Rose tries to find more information about that in the newspapers, but she can find no mention of it. She’s told that the family just wanted it kept quiet, and she is asked to respect that. How can she refuse? But she still feels in her heart that something is not quite right at Caldonbrae.
The students have their ups and downs of course—they are teenage girls, after all—but Rose notices one girl in particular spinning out of control. Rose is first drawn to Bethany when the girl just stares at her. But then she makes accusations against Rose, that Rose had hurt her, and she had bruises to back up her story. Rose knows that she never touched Bethany, but there is an investigation, with everyone at the school cognizant of the charges. And then Bethany shows up in Rose’s class, like she’d been a student of Latin all term. She shows up at Rose’s apartment. And then she escapes.
As Rose finally learns the true nature of the school, she feels like she is in too deep to get away. Her mother is under their care. They can ruin her reputation as a teacher. If she leaves, she would have nothing. But they’ve made it very clear that she won’t be able to leave. How will Rose reconcile her values with the school’s, and how can she help the girls who are depending on her escape their fate?
Madam is a dark and creepy Gothic novel, filled with anachronistic characters to keep readers wondering what year it’s supposed to be. Author Phoebe Wynne has crafted a deliciously wicked novel that questions the role of women in society. The narrative is broken up by stories of strong women in ancient history like Antigone, Dido, Lucretia, and Daphne, giving readers short lessons in classics along with the girls of Caldonbrae as well as some depth and texture to the underlying story of Caldonbrae.
I listened to the audio book of Madam, and I thought that narrator Nathalie Buscombe did an amazing job with this dark tale. Not only does she nail the perfect accent (and does great with the Scottish accents as well), I could feel the outrage and contempt that Rose felt through the narration. I thought Buscombe did a really lovely job with this one.
Overall, I liked Madam and found myself getting lost in the story. But I wasn’t surprised when the nature of the school was finally revealed. I could see their machinations long before Rose did, but I admired how much she cared about the students and wanted the best for them. However, even knowing what was coming, I still enjoyed the ride. Madam is a lovely creepy Gothic novel, and knowing some of the darkness to come only increased the tension for me. This may not be the best novel for readers who don’t want to know the secrets in advance, but it’s excellent for those who want a nice long, eerie walk through a dark Scottish boarding school.
Egalleys for Madam were provided by St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley, with many thanks, but I bought the audio book myself through Chirp.
