Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas

Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas

"[A] delicious literary Gothic debut." -THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW, EDITORS' CHOICE

"Moody and evocative as a fever dream, Catherine House is

the sort of book that wraps itself around your brain, drawing you closer with

each hypnotic step." - THE WASHINGTON POST

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A

gothic-infused debut of literary suspense, set within a secluded, elite

university and following a dangerously curious, rebellious undergraduate who

uncovers a shocking secret about an exclusive circle of students . . . and the

dark truth beneath her school's promise of prestige.

Trust us, you belong here.

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 a future of

sublime power and prestige, and that its graduates can become anything or

anyone they desire.

Among

this year's incoming class is Ines Murillo, who expects to trade blurry nights

of parties, cruel friends, and dangerous men for rigorous intellectual

discipline--only to discover an environment of sanctioned revelry. Even the

school's enigmatic director, Viktória, encourages the students to explore, to expand

their minds, to find themselves within the formidable iron gates of Catherine.

For Ines, it is the closest thing to a home she's ever had. But the House's

strange protocols soon make this refuge, with its worn velvet and weathered

leather, feel increasingly like a gilded prison. And when tragedy strikes, 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

within the 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.

Elisabeth Thomas grew up in Brooklyn, New York, where she still lives and now writes. She graduated from Yale University and currently works as an archivist for a modern art museum. This is her first novel.