A Good School by Richard Yates

Richard Yates' books were near-universally well reviewed during his lifetime, and yet he never sold more than 12,000 copies of any of his books in hardback. Now, 15 years after his death, his books are being reissued to critical acclaim and are actually beginning to sell. A Good School is probably the best starting point for anyone looking to begin reading Yates – a highly recommended activity. It's a quick read, at 169 pages, and the quality of writing is evident on every page. Yates is a master of third person narrative, only ever focusing on one character's thoughts, but constantly changing focus and entering the mind of a new character. He uses this method here to build up a picture of the pupils and staff at an all-boys private school, which is a small community unto itself. Gradually the problems of all the pupils, and worse, the staff, become apparent. And then World War Two begins, and their lives intertwine in more and more unpredictable ways. No-one is all good or all bad, and the book is riveting because of that; for good or for ill, every character evokes empathy. [Ryan Agee]