Name: The Hawthorne School
ISBN: 9781638082071

Sylvie Perry

Claudia Morgan is overwhelmed. She's a single parent trying the best that she can, but her four-year-old son, Henry, is a handful -- for her and for his preschool. When Claudia hears about a school with an atypical teaching style near her Chicagoland home, she has to visit. The Hawthorne School is beautiful and has everything she dreams of for Henry: time to play outside, music, and art. The head of the school, Zelma, will even let Claudia volunteer to cover the cost of tuition.

The Hawthorne School

For fans of Riley Sager, The Hawthorne School is a twisty psychological suspense about the lengths one mother will go for her child, inspired by present-day obsession with cults and true crime. Claudia Morgan is overwhelmed. She's a single parent trying the best that she can, but her four-year-old son, Henry, is a handful--for her and for his preschool. When Claudia hears about a school with an atypical teaching style near her Chicagoland home, she has to visit. The Hawthorne School is beautiful and has everything she dreams of for Henry: time to play outside, music, and art. The head of the school, Zelma, will even let Claudia volunteer to cover the cost of tuition. The school is good for Henry: his behavioral problems disappear, and he comes home subdued instead of rageful. But there's something a bit off about the school, its cold halls, and its enigmatic headmistress. When Henry brings home stories of ceremonies in the woods and odd rules, Claudia's instincts tell her that something isn't quite right, and she begins to realize she's caught in a web of manipulations and power. The author's work as a psychotherapist, with a focus on narcissistic manipulation and addictive power dynamics, guides this exploration of a young mother wanting to do the best for her child.

A Novel

danielle bush

While I did love the creepy setting of the Hawthorne School and thought the plot was intriguing, I had a hard time with the characters. Claudia is a young mother of a child with behavior issues but she seems so niave.. She did have some questions through out the story but didn't really seem to worried about anything until the issues were smacking her in the face. 

I really liked the whole vibe of the Hawthorne school it was spooky and creepy and definitely seemed to good to be true. Especially when we start to notice that there are only a few parents around and they all seem to work for the school.. All the kids seem to be perfectly behaved, and there is no actual school learning. 

I did like the way it ended even thought the resolution came pretty fast after Claudia finally realized there was something really wrong going on.

The Hawthorne School

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