Teenagers in an English boarding school tell their very different stories. What they hide is who they are, and who they hope to be. Can be described as a literary Gossip Girls set in a Quaker boarding school in 1970s Yorkshire. Or, in terms of format, a sort of A VISIT FROM THE GOON SQUAD for teens. Americans Jenny and her brother Tom are off to England. Tom to university to dodge the Vietnam draft, Jenny to be the new girl at Illington Hall, which the students call Ill Hall. This is Jenny's chance to finally be special and stand out, so when she arrives she tells everybody a lie. But in the small world of Ill Hall, everyone has secrets. Jenny pretends she has a boyfriend. Robbie and Luke pretend they don't. Brenda won't tell what happened with the school doctor. Percy won't tell about his famous dad. Oona lies to everyone. Penelope lies only to herself. Deftly told from multiple points of view in various narrative styles, including letters and movie screenplays, What We Hide ia a provocative, honest, often funny and always intriguing look at secrets.
Teenagers in an English boarding school tell their very different stories. What they hide is who they are, and who they hope to be. Can be described as a literary Gossip Girls set in a Quaker boarding school in 1970s Yorkshire. Or, in terms of format, a sort of A VISIT FROM THE GOON SQUAD for teens. Americans Jenny and her brother Tom are off to England. Tom to university to dodge the Vietnam draft, Jenny to be the new girl at Illington Hall, which the students call Ill Hall. This is Jenny's chance to finally be special and stand out, so when she arrives she tells everybody a lie. But in the small world of Ill Hall, everyone has secrets. Jenny pretends she has a boyfriend. Robbie and Luke pretend they don't. Brenda won't tell what happened with the school doctor. Percy won't tell about his famous dad. Oona lies to everyone. Penelope lies only to herself. Deftly told from multiple points of view in various narrative styles, including letters and movie screenplays, What We Hide ia a provocative, honest, often funny and always intriguing look at secrets.