Master Class by Christina Dalcher (Review by Caitlin Winkler)

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

How far would you go when your child is taken from you?

Welcome to the new world, and new education system, where your “Q” score, which is decided by rigorous monthly tests, determines not only your school but your whole future. Elena Fairchild, a teacher at a top tier ‘silver school’, is a mother of two- Anne and Freddie- and wife to the Undersecretary of the Department of Education, Malcom Fairchild. When Freddie fails her exam and is sent to a ‘yellow school’, a boarding school where family can only visit four times a year, Elena must make a difficult choice as she begins to question all she thought she knew.

I found myself at the end of my seat while reading this story. Having read the authors first novel, Vox, I find Christina Dalcher’s just realistic plots to terrify me more than far-fetched stories (i.e. The Walking Dead). This book’s premise seemed realistic enough to truly scare me and, as you’ll learn when reading, actually has some of our darker American history as a model.

The author wrote a letter, and specifically this quote resonated with me, to the reader of the Advanced Reader Copies that I believe sums up this perfectly:

“Master Class is a work of fiction, but it was inspired by a dark and shocking reality. I do hope you read it as a thriller, but I also hope this story of mine arouses some curiosity about a part of American history that should never have happened and should never be allowed to occur again.”