The Rabbit Club

A Novel

By: Christopher J. Yates

Narrated by: Jeremy Arthur, Will Watt, Imogen Church

*A Daily Mirror Best Book of the Year*
*A People Best Book of July!*
*A New York Post Best Beach Read!*
*A Free Press Summer Read!*

The author of Black Chalk, "the smart summer thriller you've been waiting for" (NPR), returns with a mesmerizing new novel about a dangerous secret society at Oxford University, and the first-year Literature student whose life begins to unravel in its shadow

When Ali McCain, an eighteen-year-old from Los Angeles, is accepted at Oxford, it’s a chance to fulfill his dreams. To study English literature in England; to meet true intellectuals; and to glimpse the life he might have lived had his father—British rock star Gel McCain, legendary frontman of the Pale Fires—not abandoned him and his mother when he was a toddler.

But not long after he arrives at the storied campus, Ali is drawn into a dark, disorienting world where events grow more and more curious by the day. Trading on his father’s name, he gains entry into one of Oxford’s oldest and most selective secret societies, the Saracens. As he immerses himself in this rarefied world, he inadvertently sets in motion a series of events that might culminate in disaster.

A mind-bending literary house of mirrors, replete with bookish allusions and Easter eggs ranging from Brideshead Revisited to King Lear, The Rabbit Club is an arresting work of dark academia by the category’s finest writer.

Lost Steam

I enjoyed the first 2/3rds of this book, but it got weighed down by one of the narrators. The premise was a good one, but the literary device of separate narrators led it down a more ponderous path. To sum it up, this was a lost opportunity.

The writing was good and I enjoyed a peak into Oxford culture, even if it didn't appear to be an objective view. I prefer books with complex characters and there were a few of them in this story. There were plenty of villains who play games with victims. Sadly, their motivations were not adequately fleshed out, so many of the evil doings didn't make sense.

I'll probably abandon this one before finishing it (I'm nearly done, less than an hour left). Now that I know Ali's fate, I don't see the point of continuing.

More Clever than Deep

An entertaining read this, but the author relies more on clever devices and plot tricks than actual depth. The characters are flat and sometimes cartoonish and the language is often foul. Austen and Dickens need fear no serious competition here.

A nice nod to the 80s Bridehead Revisited Obsession

I appreciated the connection to Brideshead Revisited and TSH. The setting and time recalled that period of time in the mid 80s to early 90s when the Brideshead mini series seemed to over take everyone and became a cultural point of that period for a certain group of teens and young adults.

Juvenile

Wealthy kids at Oxford judge each other for being too wealthy. Of course, the Torries are evil scoundrels. I can tolerate all of this if the story is good. But it was boring, comical without meaning to be, and ridiculous.

Insipid

Forced myself to finish this book to see if it had some redeeming factors. Sadly, no. Seems like a complete slur on Oxford students. Pranks, over indulgence and trite back stories. Will probably not read more from this author.