Lee worked hard to get into the Ault School – she completed all the applications and financial aid requests, got the grades to qualify for entry, and figured out how to move in. What she wasn’t prepared for was how different she was from the other students. Life in South Bend, Indiana, is a different world than Boston, Massachusetts. And living in the dorms at the boarding school, she has the opportunity to make friends for a lifetime…or enemies forever.
Prep is the debut novel from Curtis Sittenfeld, most recently known for novels like Eligible and Romantic Comedy. This coming-of-age story brought Sittenfeld a nomination for the Orange Prize for Fiction and put her on the literary radar. With insight and sensitivity to teen emotions and mental health, Sittenfeld gives what feels like an intimate look behind the curtain into these students’ lives. This beautiful story elevates the teenaged drama of high school and delves deep into the need to belong, to fit in, and to be loved.
I give Prep 3 out of 5 stars. This was an interesting book, but the character development and overall story felt like it was missing something. Sittenfeld’s more recent works feel more polished and complete where this one just seems to be missing that spark. I walked away from reading this book disagreeing with a few “facts” presented in the book, and not fully following the story. I took issue with the way the students were left to their own accord and the failure to mind their security. I also did not appreciate the way topics like sex and dating were treated in the story, as well as the final scenes with the reporter. With recent headlines about abuse and scandal at boarding schools, these plotlines feel more believable, but still so far from the reality of teenage angst and desire that I am familiar with.
With discussions of teen sex, mental health struggles, bullying, and more, this book would be best directed to more mature audiences over 13. I do think there is some benefit to teens reading about stories like this to see some belonging or joint struggles with these characters. I would also offer that this book may be triggering to those who attended boarding schools with similar scandals. This book feels more like a cautionary tale parents may want to read before sending their children to boarding school than a tale of belonging among the students though.
I chose Prep for the Read With Lindsey 2024 Reading Challenge prompt “set at a college or high school”. I was excited to read another book by Curtis Sittenfeld after reading Eligible last year. When I first started looking for books for this prompt, I had the movie “Dead Poet’s Society” in my mind. This book is similar but misses the mark a bit. Some other great options for this prompt are in yesterday’s weekly agenda post, but you might want to also consider Old School by Tobias Wolff or Normal People by Sally Rooney!
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What I’m Reading
- Current print book: A Happier Life, Kristy Woodson Harvey
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- Book I’m most looking forward to: Legends of the Fall, Jim Harrison
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3 thoughts on “Prep”