The English Teacher

Fifteen years ago, Vida Avery arrived alone and pregnant at Fayer Academy. By living on campus, on an island off the New England coast, Vida has cocooned herself and her now teenage son, Peter, from the outside world and from an inside secret. This is a tale of a mother and son's vital bond.

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From Lily King, author of the award-winning and critically acclaimed "The Pleasing Hour", comes her thrilling successor, "The English Teacher". Fifteen years ago Vida Avery arrived alone and pregnant at Fayer Academy. By living on campus, on an island off the New England coast, Vida has cocooned herself and her now teenage son, Peter, from the outside world and from an inside secret. For years she has lived largely through the books she teaches, but when she accepts an impulsive marriage proposal, the prescribed life Vida has constructed is swiftly dismantled. Peter, however, welcomes the changes. Excited to move off campus, eager to have siblings at last, Peter anticipates a regular life with a "normal" family. But his new stepsiblings are still grieving, and the memory of their recently dead mother exerts a powerful hold on the house. When Vida begins to act erratically, Peter not only realizes how complicated a normal family can be, but he sees that the mother he perceived as indomitable is collapsing and it is up to him to rescue her.
"The English Teacher" is a passionate tale of a mother and son's vital bond and a provocative look at our notions of intimacy, honesty, loyalty, family and the real meaning of home. A triumphant and masterful follow-up to her lauded debut, "The English Teacher" confirms Lily King as one of the most accomplished and vibrant young voices of today.