Told from alternative perspectives, The Chandler Legacies follows five students at Chandler, an elite boarding school with a long history of prestigious alumni. The different narrators come from different socio-economic backgrounds but find themselves brought together via a coveted writing group called The Circle. There, they get to know each other and secrets immerge. Secrets that point at a larger issue with the boarding school and its cycle of abuse.
I was really looking forward to reading this book, having loved the author’s previous book Like a Love Story. The synopsis painted a dark, compelling story about hazing, abuse of power and complicity. It’s inspired by the author’s own experiences at boarding school and, as he states in the author’s note at the beginning of this advanced copy, it’s a milder version of what happened during his freshman year. So knowing all that going into this novel, I was perhaps expecting something a bit… more? Yes, The Chandler Legacies does touch on all of those aspects yet it somehow also felt TOO mild, in a way. Not that I was necessarily looking for something more explicit, but it felt very simplified and, with five rotating narrators, seemed to remain too surface-level. It switched POVs fairly frequently so each “chapter” didn’t get a chance to dive too deep for developing anything.
I appreciated the way the reactions to the hazing was depicted, and how different people dealt with it differently. It felt realistic to have some speak up and some stay quiet for their own survival – even when the compliance at times seemed unbelievable to ignore and continue on with their daily lives. I actually think one of my favourite characters in this wasn’t even one of the main five – it was Ramin’s friend Hiro!
The LGBTQ representation was also great, though I did feel it also a bit simplistic and, at times, contrived with how some of it plays out. I can’t quite pinpoint or articulate it exactly (without spoiling anything) but that part of it had felt a bit too easy? Wrapped up in a nice little bow? Out of nowhere? And some of their reactions and behaviour felt disappointing and out of character at times given what we got to know about them.
A sub-theme that I actually found more compelling was about the things each and everyone of us go through that others may not know about. How people get judged and assumed things about them, then gossip spreads and people are humiliated & hurt but it was a good reminder that everyone is going through something. I thought this element was really well explored throughout the book.
I did like the concept for this book and maybe it was too painful for the author to dive deeper, but the potential was there for a really hard-hitting story. Like I said, it does touch on the abuse of power at all levels, the complicity of others – but perhaps if there were less narrators, and less separate storylines to juggle, there would have been more opportunity to actually address the serious nature of what was going on.
Rating: ★ ★ ★ (3/5 stars)
Available: February 15, 2022
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A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
JUST A LIL LOST 