The Truants
Genre
Contemporary fiction, mystery
Content Warnings
Drug use, explicit references to sex, abortion, death
The Truants plot summary
Jess made her university choice based on one thing, and one thing only. Professor Lorna Clay, author of The Truants, and the one person Jess believes can help her to escape the tedium of her pre-university life. When she finds herself swept up in not just Lorna’s magnetism, but also a new and exciting group of friends, Jess may have managed to shed her old self once and for all. But as new revelations surface, and some of these sparkling personalities reveal darker facets, Jess may have to make some hard choices about who to trust, and whether this new version of herself is one to hold on to.
My thoughts on The Truants
The first thing I noticed when reading The Truants, by Kate Weinberg, was a strong sense of character from its protagonist. The story is narrated by Jess, in first person past tense. There’s some use of present tense, usually when Jess is questioning her memory of events or highlighting something specific to the reader. It’s very clear that Jess is aware she’s relaying this story to somebody, which naturally raises some questions about the reliability of her narration.
The writing isn’t overstated, but it’s highly effective. From the instant regret of sending a slightly petulant email to the slightly nervous rush of making a new friend, you feel right there with Jess. Weinberg creates tension brilliantly as well, and the scenes are packed with atmosphere. There are a few moments from early in the book that give the sense of something dark lurking beneath the surface of the story. Jess has a chance encounter early on that leads to some unhappy memory half-resurfacing, and there are bits and pieces of foreshadowing to remind you that all is not well. Or, at least, it won’t continue to be well.
The strengths and weaknesses
Jess is largely motivated by her desire to be close to other people. She wants the alluring Georgie to like her, and Georgie’s fascinating boyfriend to be equally fascinated by her. She wants the mysterious lecturer Lorna to appreciate her insights. Above all, she wants these interesting people to make her more interesting. I found the book most interesting as a character study, and I think Weinberg’s writing really lent itself to that side of things.
The thing that I think let the story down was the mystery element that was introduced. The cover quotes for the UK edition that I read referenced the book being a ‘whodunnit’ and a ‘murder mystery’ – which I didn’t think were accurate representations of what you get when you read The Truants. At all.
There are a lot of references to Agatha Christie’s work, not least because Georgie and Jess end up taking a course about her. And the story does draw on some of the elements of a mystery novel. But to call it a ‘murder mystery’ feels like an enormous stretch, and waiting for the book to take that shape made reading the second half of it feel a bit weird.
In summary
If you’re after an introspective character study, with incredible tension and a distinct dose of darkness, then I’d recommend The Truants. The protagonist may not be the most vibrant you’ve ever met, but I found her quiet determination really compelling, and I loved the portrayal of friendship that you got, particularly in the earlier phases of the story.
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