Oligarchy
A Novel
by Scarlett Thomas
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Pub Date Jan 14 2020 | Archive Date Jan 03 2020
Counterpoint Press | Counterpoint
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Description
From the author of The Seed Collectors comes a darkly comic take on power, privilege, and the pressure put on young women to fit in—and be thin—at their all-girls boarding school
"Thomas does a fantastic job of capturing the mental and verbal style of a contemporary teen without being precious or exasperating. . . . This is a weird, twisty book, and anyone familiar with Thomas' oeuvre will expect the kind of dark humor that is only possible from a writer of profound compassion. Strong stuff. Another strange delight from one of the United Kingdom's most interesting authors." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
It’s already the second week of term when Natasha, the daughter of a Russian oligarch, arrives at a vast English country house for her first day of boarding school. She soon discovers that the headmaster gives special treatment to the skinniest girls, and Natasha finds herself thrown into the school’s unfamiliar, moneyed world of fierce pecking orders, eating disorders, and Instagram angst. When her friend Bianca mysteriously vanishes, the world of the school gets ever darker and stranger.
The halls echo with the story of Princess Augusta, the White Lady whose portraits—featuring a hypnotizing black diamond—hang everywhere. She fell in love with a commoner and drowned herself in the lake, and her ghost is said to haunt the dorms. But the girls don’t really know anything about the woman she was, much less anything about each other.
Hilariously dark, Oligarchy is The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie for the digital age. Scarlett Thomas captures the lives of privileged teenage girls seeking to be loved and accepted in all their triviality and magnitude. With the help of her diet-obsessed classmates, Tash must try to stay alive—and sane—while she uncovers what’s really going on.
Advance Praise
"Thomas does a fantastic job of capturing the mental and verbal style of a contemporary teen without being precious or exasperating. . . . This is a weird, twisty book, and anyone familiar with Thomas' oeuvre will expect the kind of dark humor that is only possible from a writer of profound compassion. Strong stuff. Another strange delight from one of the United Kingdom's most interesting authors." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"Thomas has penned a sharp-eyed novel about the pressure society, adults, and peers put on girls to look and behave a certain way . . . Thomas deftly explores exactly what those cost are, and the toll they take on young women." —Booklist
"Satisfying, keenly observed . . . Thomas’s depiction of the image-driven hive mind that dictates adolescent girls’ relationships is spot-on . . . She’s captured with an empathetic eye all the brutal, visceral, and surprisingly funny aspects of teenage girlhood. This is a sharp, astute novel." —Publishers Weekly
"The savagery of a private girls' school in England is not to be underestimated and never to be forgotten upon reading Oligarchy, Scarlett Thomas’s scathing and brilliantly written novel of wealth and vanity run terribly amok.” ––Elizabeth McKenzie, author of The Portable Veblen
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781640093065 |
| PRICE | $26.00 (USD) |
| PAGES | 208 |
Featured Reviews
Jennifer H, Reviewer
A little weird, a little like Mean Girls and I liked it a lot. Oligarchy is what I can only imagine teen/high school life is currently like, and, oh God, how glad am I that I'm old? Lots of dark moments, maybe a little bit satire, but fresh. I've not read a book quite like this one before and I really enjoyed it. Thomas' writing style is imaginative and also had me laughing at points that I'm *hoping* were supposed to be funny. Otherwise I might be a weirdo.
Oligarchy comes out 1.14.20.
4/5 Stars
Tess C, Educator
What a strange book OLIGARCHY is. Unexpected, daring, and full of life; this book is certainly unlike anything I have read before. Scarlett Thomas paints an amazing portrait of a British girls boarding school full of hierarchies, social media obsessions, and worst of all, brutal eating disorders. But nothing is what it seems -- throw in some surprising deaths from side characters, and you have a fully-formed but extremely weird novel.
To say this book is a dark comedy may be a bit of an understatement. It is heartbreakingly heavy with humor sprinkled throughout. It is tongue in cheek, but I certainly would not recommend this book if you have ever had an eating disorder. The characters, and therefore the book, become obsessed with body image, calorie counting, and anorexia hashtags on social media. It's upsetting, but it is also glaringly obvious that the author wants us to be upset. This took me out of the book a bit, I have to say. It's certainly a smart book, but not a masterpiece and one that should definitely be handled delicately However, it is unusual and a strange journey that could also totally be your cup of tea. It's modern, slightly twisty, and certainly cutting edge too.
Ellen A, Educator
Scarlet Thomas can certainly write! Years ago, I read her books PopCo and the End of Mr. Y. Such different books--but each wonderful in their own way. Each of Thomas' books are unique; she doesn't repeat herself and Oligarchy is no exception. Quirky and fascinating, the story centers on Natasha, a Russian high school student just beginning (a week late) in an English boarding school.
The major focus at this school seems to be food--and eating disorders. Thomas looks at how adolescent girls look to find security in an unpredictable world in which adults seem to have abandoned their role as caregivers and guides. Tasha has recently been contacted by her long unknown father, a wealthy Russian "oligarch"--a member of a small group of people running a country. He is mysterious and powerful.
In its own way, Tasha's school is also an oligarchy, run by a small group of the most popular girls of her school. The girls are ruthless in the pursuit of a perfect body and the closer a girl approaches this idea, the more popular she becomes, at least envied by the others.
Thomas gives an astute analysis of a culture run by false values, consumerism, and superficial goals. These girls are searching for meaning in their lives and finding it in restricting calories.
Despite these serious concerns, the book is also very funny. Tasha's baffled but thoughtful reactions are both poignant and amusing; in fact, the whole focus on food becomes absurdly hilarious. But underneath the laughter is a real punch and message.
My thanks to the author, NetGalley, and Counterpoint Press for providing me with a copy of Oligarchy. My review reflects my honest reactions. I am very happy to have been given the chance to read and enjoy this excellent book.
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