Madam
For 150 years, high above rocky Scottish cliffs, Caldonbrae Hall has sat untouched, a beacon of excellence in an old ancestral castle. A boarding school for girls, it promises that the young women lucky enough to be admitted will emerge “resilient and ready to serve society.” Into its illustrious midst steps Rose Christie: a 26-year-old Classics teacher, Caldonbrae’s new head of the department, and the first hire for the school in over a decade. At first, Rose is overwhelmed to be invited into this institution, whose prestige is unrivalled. But she quickly discovers that behind the school’s elitist veneer lies an impenetrable, starkly traditional culture that she struggles to reconcile with her modernist beliefs – not to mention her commitment to educating “girls for the future.”
It doesn’t take long for Rose to suspect that there’s more to the secret circumstances surrounding the abrupt departure of her predecessor--a woman whose ghost lingers everywhere--than anyone is willing to let on. In her search for this mysterious former teacher, Rose instead uncovers the darkness that beats at the heart of Caldonbrae, forcing her to confront the true extent of the school’s nefarious purpose, and her own role in perpetuating it. A darkly feminist tale pitched against a haunting backdrop, and populated by an electrifying cast of heroines, Madam will keep readers engrossed until the breathtaking conclusion.
It doesn’t take long for Rose to suspect that there’s more to the secret circumstances surrounding the abrupt departure of her predecessor--a woman whose ghost lingers everywhere--than anyone is willing to let on. In her search for this mysterious former teacher, Rose instead uncovers the darkness that beats at the heart of Caldonbrae, forcing her to confront the true extent of the school’s nefarious purpose, and her own role in perpetuating it. A darkly feminist tale pitched against a haunting backdrop, and populated by an electrifying cast of heroines, Madam will keep readers engrossed until the breathtaking conclusion.
BUY
Madam is currently available everywhere books are sold.
reviews
a letter to readers
Download →
Dear Reader,
They say write what you know, and Madam is indeed drawn from my personal experience, both as a Classics teacher, and as a girl in a British boarding school. There is truth to the traditions, societal expectations, traumas, and struggles depicted within the pages of Madam, and some of it may surprise you. Caldonbrae Hall is certainly no Hogwarts. Institutions are dangerous places, and no genre knows this better than the gothic. I’ve always been compelled by the menacing ideas of the looming building, the male oppressor, the subjugated female, and her desire for escape. My greatest gothic writing ‘shero’ is Daphne du Maurier, who spun her fascinating webs so eerily and uncomfortably that they upset her contemporaries and stood the test of time, just as Emily and Charlotte Bronte managed before her. Just like Jane Eyre, my heroine, Rose, learns that she must connect herself to something substantial to exist. Rose clings to her education and to the academic institution she knows well - but the one she’s thrust into is rotten, as are its age-old customs. The girls enjoy these customs, as they know nothing else, bar three young students, who are intrigued by their new teacher’s tales of classical literature. Having absorbed the lessons of the ancient heroines, they rise up, discovering their own version of compassion, and some version of autonomy. Madam is at its heart a story about rebellion, and how we must break free of oppression to find true connections and live as liberated women. Madam’s catastrophic ending came to me first, its setting and imagery so powerful that I was forced to find the story’s beginning from there. Greek tragedy was my great friend and influence, with its themes of moral dilemma, suffering, and catharsis. I stormed through Madam as if it were a story possessed, peppered with bright characters with loud voices that crowded around my mind, and crowd around it still. Heroines both real and literary pushed through the pages to express themselves and rid themselves of their constraints. I hope you find their freedom as exhilarating as I did. 
Book Club Discussions
Download →
- How did the opening lines of the prologue set the tone for the rest of the novel? When you finally read the moment it depicted, did the impact of that scene change for you?
- The setting for Madam and Caldonbrae Hall are rocky Scottish cliffs. How does this isolated coast serve the narrative? Do you think the book would be the same or different without it? Why or why not?
- Discuss the structure of the novel. The sections are broken down by term, the interstitials of Greek and Roman mythology. How does this structure work to serve and progress the narrative?
- On page 30, Nessa asks Rose, “Then why have they sent you to teach us?” After finishing the novel, does that question carry a different weight to you than when you first read it?
- Rose teaches her students Latin through the translation of Greek and Roman stories about empowered women. Though these stories are usually tragedies, the Fourths take much interest in them. Why do you think these particular stories in mythology resonate with the young women, even though they typically result in the heroine’s death?
- Rose teaches her students about Daphne, who wished to remain a virgin, young and free, only to be turned into a rooted tree and touched by Apollo whenever he chose. In what ways can this mythology be an allusion to the experiences of the young women at Caldonbrae Hall?
- In continuing with question 6, Rose teaches her students about Antigone, who, as a young woman, broke the patriarchal rules of her uncle to fight for what she believed in and won. How is this mythology an allusion to the actions of Freddie, Nessa, and Daisy?
- Multiple women are living at Caldonbrae Hall during different phases of their lives. Characters such as Bethany, Freddie, Clarissa, Frances, and Vivien accept the practices of the institution and the dominance of the patriarchy. Why do you think these specific characters, in all of their differences, are so central to the novel?