The Loyalties

June 1, 2020
De Vigan's (Based on a True Story, 2017) taut and wrenching novel follows the intersecting paths of various characters navigating the labyrinths of their lives. At the outset, teacher H�l�ne suspects that her student, 12-year-old Th�o, is being abused. Narratives shift between H�l�ne, Th�o, his friend Mathis, and Mathis' mother, C�cile, revealing the torments of their lives as well as the converging storms. H�l�ne's concern for Th�o becomes increasingly intense, forcing her to reflect upon her own childhood as she attempts to help Th�o. Th�o, meanwhile, is adrift in the aftermath of his parents' contentious divorce, alternating between their households and struggling through his father's mental decline. Th�o and Mathis have started drinking alcohol during school hours, and what was, at first, an exciting secret soon becomes a crutch for Th�o. Meanwhile, C�cile grows increasingly uneasy about Th�o and Mathis' close friendship as she uncovers a disturbing secret about her husband, which leads to further obsessions and conflicts. A sense of foreboding rises as characters attempt to steer through their complicated routes, misgivings, and internalizations.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)