Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas

  Huh? That was my reaction upon turning the last page of Catherine House. That and, "What was this even about?" I love a good what-really-happens-behind-closed-doors mystery thriller set at a boarding school or college but this wasn't that. There is a college and strange things happen at the college but no one, including the main character, appears to be that interested in finding out what happens behind closed doors.

Inez is a girl with a troubled past who gets accepted at a prestigious school that counts many rich and powerful among it alumni. The deal is that students agree to spend 3 years (classes are year round) immersed at Catherine House and cut off from the rest of the world. No phone calls, no internet, no TV. No contact with family or friends. The school provides for all their essential needs - food, toiletries, clothes, and lots of wine.

So the school is special but why I don't know. The curriculum sounds like BS. No one is pre-med or trying to write the next great novel. There is a major called new materials which is the main thing the school cares about. Mostly the school sounded like a weird pseudo-science religious cult. It is clear students are being experimented on but it is all very low key. None of the students seem to mind or care that much, except for perhaps the new materials majors.

Inez, the main character, spends much of her time drinking and sleeping with other students but none of it seems to matter to her. Everything about Inez felt shallow. She is completely uninterested in questioning anything around her and her lack of interest made it difficult for me to be interested.

This story felt incomplete. If I could edit this book I would condense the 300+ pages here to half the size and then add a second part where either Inez digs deep into the mystery of Catherine House or figures out her life and makes a radical change that leads to her becoming more invested in her own life and the world around her.