Audere, agere, auferre.
To dare, to strive, to conquer.
For generations, elite young men have attended St. Oswaldâs School for Boys, groomed for success by the likes of Roy Straitley, the eccentric classics teacher who has been a revered fixture for more than 30 years. But this year, things are different. Suits, paperwork, and Information Technology rule the world, and Straitley is reluctantly contemplating retirement. He is joined in this, his 99th, term by five new faculty members, including one whoâunknown to Straitley and everyone elseâholds intimate and dangerous knowledge of St. Ozzieâs ways and secrets, itâs comforts and conceits. Harboring dark ties to the schoolâs past, this young teacher has arrived with one terrible goal: Destroy St. Oswaldâs.
As the new term gets underway, a number of incidents befall students and faculty alike. Beginning as small annoyancesâa lost pen, a misplaced coffee mugâthey soon escalate to the life threatening. With the school unraveling, only Straitley stands in the way of St. Ozzieâs ruin. But the old man faces a formidable opponentâa master player with a strategy that has been meticulously planned to the final move.
A harrowing tale of cat and mouse told in alternating voices, this riveting, hypnotically atmospheric novel showcases Joanne Harrisâs astonishing storytelling talent as never before.
Joanne Harris is the author of seven previous novelsâChocolat, Blackberry Wine, Five Quarters of the Orange, Coastliners, Holy Fools, Sleep, Pale Sister, and Gentlemen & Players; a short story collection, Jigs & Reels; and two cookbook/memoirs, My French Kitchen and The French Market. Half French and half British, she lives in England.