The Divines

The Divines by Ellie Eaton

I went to a very small public school in a rural town, so in some ways this book was like stepping into another world.

The Premise – The story is narrated in 2 timelines, present day Joe (Josephine) and her teenage life as a Divine….a student at a posh boarding school, St. John the Divine.

While I didn’t attend an elite school, I could relate with many of the girls attitudes and activities. Even the best among us had moments of self-absorption and overly self-critical thoughts.

Eaton does a great job in demonstrating typical teenage behavior and how it could be amplified by the situations these girls found themselve. I also appreciate a slightly unreliable narrator. I mean, who really remembers high school the way it really happened? I think most of us remember those years through a filter of teenage angst. Add in boarding school syndrome (it’s a thing!) and you get a great novel.