Book Review: The Betrayals by Bridget Collins


Having just finished reading The Betrayals, I feel as though in a daze. It was such a wonderful, well-crafted and brilliant tale of "alternate" historical fiction which I couldn't put down. 

The setting is that of a boarding school, presumably in an alternate reality of 1930's England, where for the first time a female has been appointed Magister Ludi where previously only men have been allowed to study the Grand Jeu - a spiritual game combining philosophy, mathematics, music and literature. There are flashbacks to a decade previous, where the schools' two brightest students, initially rivals, slowly begin to form an allegiance. Yet there is tragedy, in more forms than one, which change the course of their lives forever, and the ghostly voice of a little girl who haunts the halls. 

There's so much to enjoy in this finely-tuned novel: politics, religious persecution, the role of women in society, the meaning of friendship and love, and above all, betrayals. I found it fascinating, immersive and utterly wonderful. 

For anyone seeking further insight into the practice and nature of The Grand Jeu, read Collin's afterward in which she explains how she was inspired by Hermann Hesse's The Glass Bead Game. This was for me an unfamiliar title, though now having this insight I am able to appreciate The Betrayals even more.

Rating: 5/5

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