"Catherine House" by Elisabeth Thomas

You are in the house and the house is in the woods.
You are in the house and the house is in you . . .

Catherine House is a school of higher learning like no other. Hidden deep in the woods of rural Pennsylvania, this crucible of reformist liberal arts study with its experimental curriculum, wildly selective admissions policy, and formidable endowment, has produced some of the world’s best minds: prize-winning authors, artists, inventors, Supreme Court justices, presidents. For those lucky few selected, tuition, room, and board are free. But acceptance comes with a price. Students are required to give the House three years—summers included—completely removed from the outside world. Family, friends, television, music, even their clothing must be left behind. In return, the school promises its graduates a future of sublime power and prestige, and that they can become anything or anyone they desire.

Among this year’s incoming class is Ines, who expects to trade blurry nights of parties, pills, cruel friends, and dangerous men for rigorous intellectual discipline—only to discover an environment of sanctioned revelry. The school’s enigmatic director, Viktória, encourages the students to explore, to expand their minds, to find themselves and their place within the formidable black iron gates of Catherine.

For Ines, Catherine is the closest thing to a home she’s ever had, and her serious, timid roommate, Baby, soon becomes an unlikely friend. Yet the House’s strange protocols make this refuge, with its worn velvet and weathered leather, feel increasingly like a gilded prison. And when Baby’s obsessive desire for acceptance ends in tragedy, Ines begins to suspect that the school—in all its shabby splendor, hallowed history, advanced theories, and controlled decadence—might be hiding a dangerous agenda that is connected to a secretive, tightly knit group of students selected to study its most promising and mysterious curriculum.

Combining the haunting sophistication and dusky, atmospheric style of Sarah Waters with the unsettling isolation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go, Catherine House is a devious, deliciously steamy, and suspenseful page-turner with shocking twists and sharp edges that is sure to leave readers breathless. ~taken from Goodreads

Where to start, where to start... I was drawn to this book initially because it was described as "a seductive, gothic-infused tale of literary suspense". It sounded very intriguing and I was so excited that I was approved by Harper Collins Publishing via Netgalley for the eARC.

Immediately upon reading I was intrigued. The campus is isolated from the rest of society and has deep roots into a secretive but prestigious life for its graduates. Houses in old campus buildings surrounded by thick woods, the first year students are told to leave their past behind. They are not allowed to bring anything, and are even given new clothing to wear. Everything they need for the next 3 years will be provided to them by the school.

Ines applied and was accepted to Catherine House. She is running from her past, so she is more than eager to leave her life behind and start fresh on the campus. Drinking is encouraged, showing up to class is optional, and Ines soon finds she is falling behind in her studies and on the verge of being expelled. She cannot go back to her previous life. She has to change her behavior so that life on campus can continue for her. She has to give her all to Catherine House.

Weird things happen on this campus. Everything is secretive. Rumors swirl nonstop. Nothing can be proven. Then Ines' roommate dies. Ines is not so sure that she died accidentally or even as a suicide...

Though I wouldn't classify this as suspenseful or gothic, I really did enjoy this odd mystery about life on the campus of Catherine House. It was a fun, quick read and I would recommend it for anyone looking for a spring or summer read. 

Thanks again to Netgalley and Harper Collins Publishers for allowing me to read and give my honest review of Catherine House. I look forward to reading more novels from author Elisabeth Thomas in the future. 

This was a 4 star read for me! It is set to be released here in the United States tomorrow, May 12, 2020. Order it now! It's a great quarantine read! 

Happy Reading!