The Nine by Jeanne McWilliams Blasberg – 328 pages
ARC provided by She Writes Press in exchange for an honest review
Book Blurb:
Hannah Webber fears she will never be a mother, but her prayers are finally answered when she gives birth to a son. In an era of high-stakes parenting, nurturing Sam’s intellect becomes Hannah’s life purpose. She invests body and soul into his development, much to the detriment of her marriage. She convinces herself, however, that Sam’s acceptance at age fourteen to the most prestigious of New England boarding schools overseen by an illustrious headmaster, justifies her choices. When he arrives at Dunning, Sam is glad to be out from under his mother’s close watch. And he enjoys his newfound freedom―until, late one night, he stumbles upon evidence of sexual misconduct at the school and is unable to shake the discovery.
My Review: 4.5 stars
The Nine was a thought-provoking and absorbing story about expectation, parenting, deviance and class disparity. Yep, hard-hitting topics blended seamlessly into a great story about an overly devoted, borderline helicopter mother and her athletic, smart and trusting son.
Blasberg’s writing was succinct and richly nuanced in what wasn’t said. I didn’t know much about the storyline when I started and was surprised at the subtle suspense that ran through the pages. There was a bit of a ‘who-done-it feel’ that lasted until the very end. The depictions of every character allowed them to pop off the page. Hannah, Sam, Mimi, Uncle Henry, Grabs, Justin, Shawn and the administration, came alive in my mind.
On first glance, it seemed this book would be one-dimensional regarding a secret society in a private school. Let me assure you, this book covers so much more. Marriage, parental pressure, divorce, monetary issues, private vs. public school, old money vs, new money, mother/son relationships, secret groups, vandalism, helicopter mothers, private school corruption and privacy concerns on so many levels. Phew, I’m out of breath from all that!
I receive the Jewish Book Council’s newsletter, and was happy to randomly come upon an article about both the author and The Nine. I learned that both this book and her earlier book, Eden, are modern retellings of Biblical stories. Here’s the link to read more about it. I highly recommend this book. I can’t wait to see what’s next from Blasberg and am confident that book clubs will have a lot to chew on for discussion.
Quotes I liked:
It happens. Admission offices get tens of thousands of applications. They’re looking for reasons not to consider an applicant.”
“Pulling out of the driveway an leaving him with that fair-haired family was another in a long line of parenting mistakes. Sam certainly wouldn’t be kindling the Sabbath lights in this land of gin and tonics.”
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