The Swallows - Lisa Lutz

Mystery/Thriller

Rating: 7.5/10

An epic and vicious battle of the sexes set in a private school. A new teacher unwittingly ignites a gender war after reading responses to an anonymous creative writing assignment.

Battle lines are quickly drawn and entrenched in this dysfunctional story.  The boys are caught with their pants down, which I mean in the literal sense of the word as well as the figurative, and the girls are out for blood. While I support whole heartedly the rise against a patriarchy, this is still just a well-done mystery novel.  Not a literary masterpiece for the ages, brimming with depth and meaning.

Was the author obtuse in her choice of title?  Did she fail to see the irony given the…let’s call them shenanigans…at the school?

Footnote: Life Lesson: Teenagers are terrifying and quite nasty!  P.S.: I will never ever ever be able to look at a flowchart the same way again!