Press for The Divines
“Shifting in time, this crisply written novel explores the universal human yearning to belong – and the terrible toll it can sometimes exact.”—People Magazine
“Chilling and twisty, this story will have you at once compelled, and cringing at the awfulness of teenage girls.”—Cosmpolitan (UK)
“Decades after her teenage boarding school days in the English countryside, Josephine—now a married career woman in Los Angeles—feels compelled to return to the now-shuttered institution where she lived out her adolescence. But as she revisits the final weeks leading up to the scandal that shut down the school, Josephine’s present-day life begins to unravel.”—Harper’s Bazaar, 22 Books You Need to Read in 2021
“In this captivating debut novel, Ellie Eaton traces adolescent female sexuality, class divides, and the weight of formative memories on adults.”—New York Magazine (Vulture)
“A provocative meditation on our obsession with youth — including our own — and an exploration into the power and perversity of teenage girls, The Divines is perfectly twisted in its reflection of an utterly toxic environment, making it impossible to put down till you get to its end.”—Refinery29, 50 Books To Read In 2021
"[A] well-told story that hurtles towards a strangely satisfying conclusion.” —Hey Alma, Favorite Books for Winter 2021
"An all-girls school closed in disgrace, class divisions and a group of friends hiding a secret... Exploring the destructive relationships of teenage girls and the echoes they have on our grown lives, this is an explosive debut that will also look rather good on your bedside table.”—Stylist (UK), Best New Fiction for 2021
“Told between present-day and her time as a young teenage woman, Josephine recalls just how cruel a young woman has the potential to be, the demons always lingering in the back of our hearts, and whether or not people can actually change.”—Shondaland, 5 Best Books to Read in January
“This elegant tale of class privilege and bullying at an exclusive girl’s boarding school in the 90s makes you feel as though you are trapped alongside conflicted protagonist Josephine.”—iNews, 75 of the best books for 2021
“Set in present-day Los Angeles and a 1990s British boarding school, Ellie Eaton’s book carefully examines the destructive relationships of teenage girls. At the center is Josephine, a freelance writer who was one of the private school’s biggest bullies. Revisiting the shuttered school in her 30s, she begins to dig into her own past and grapple with the decisions she made decades ago.”—Electric Literature, 27 Debuts to Look Forward To in the First Half of 2021
“Eaton’s debut combines three of my favorite things—boarding school, “vicious” teenage girls, and long-buried secrets that haunt for years—in a literary novel that comes studded with blurbs from writers like Sarah Perry, Rufi Thorpe, and Kimberly King Parsons. So yes, it may be unbearably on brand for me, but that doesn’t mean I anticipate it any less.”—Lit Hub, Most Anticipated Books of 2021
“In Eaton’s Dark-Academia-meets-serious-questions-of-selfhood debut, St John the Divine, an elite English boarding school for girls, has been closed for fifteen years following a hushed-up scandal. Josephine, a newly married writer with a promising career, hasn’t spoken to her former friends and classmates — former “Divines” — since. But after revisiting the school, Josephine begins to remember more and more about what happened in the weeks before it shuttered — the Divines’ snobbery, her own cruelty, the violent events that brought the school low — and her growing obsession with the past threatens to derail her adult life and self.”—The Millions, Most Anticipated: The Great First-Half 2021 Book Preview
“The Divines by Ellie Eaton explores the dark side of adolescence as a woman named Josephine delves into her past at an all-girls boarding school in England. Now in her 30s, Josephine hasn't spoken to any of her classmates since the school closed after a shocking act of violence. But after she returns to the school, she begins to remember the chain of events that led to it shutting its doors — and the role she played in the tragedy she would rather forget.”—POPSUGAR, Best Books of January 2021
“An exploration of the destructive relationships between teenage girls at an entirely toxic and secluded boarding school. What more could you want?”—Parade, The Best 2021 Releases to Read This Winter
“Is there anything more terrifying than a group of teenage girls? How about a secluded boarding school filled with them, like in Eaton's gripping debut. Jumping between modern-day Los Angeles and 1990s Britain, The Divines examines the destructive bonds and lingering traumas that were formed at the elite St John the Divine. And when one former student returns after 15 years, the secrets of the past prove we never really leave high school.”—E! News
“The Divines” is one of the most anticipated books of the new year. This coming-of-age story follows Josephine, a former student at St. John the Divine, an elite all-girls English boarding school that closed its doors after a violent and mysterious act left it disgraced. But 15 years later, Josephine’s newfound obsession with her teenage identity brings her dangerously close to uncovering the school’s scandalous secrets. But is the truth worth unraveling her entire life, career and marriage for? You’ll have to read to find out.”—CNN
“It's been 15 years since Josephine was one of the Divines: the notoriously rebellious students of the all-girls' boarding school, St John the Divine. Now she's back on the school's hallowed grounds, searching for answers about what happened at St John... and why it closed down for good.”—Bustle, Most Anticipated Books of January 2021
“A former boarder at a private school in England comes back to reckon with the events of those sordid days in Ellie Eaton's The Divines. It's been 15 years since Josephine put her life at St John the Divine behind her, but now the past is catching up. Returning to her old school unearths long-buried memories of her time within its hallowed halls, and the nature and details of those recollections have very real, present-day consequences for Eaton's protagonist.”—Bustle, The Most Anticipated Debuts Of 2021
“The seemingly effortless way of building suspense, the beautiful writing, and the complex psychological themes that are addressed in this book will certainly convince you that Ellie Eaton is an author to watch.”—The Nerd Daily
"[An] intelligent debut… Eaton does a good job describing class tension and the misery of trying to fit into a social clique as a teenager. Josephine’s steady unraveling of her teenage dramas will keep readers riveted."—Publisher’s Weekly
“At times both sharp and haunting, this novel embodies the awkwardness and regret of adolescence.... A layered and complex debut.”—Booklist
“The Divines is an excellently written book that will suck you into its storyline. I loved each and every one of the characters and the author did an exemplary job of developing each one. A must-read for fans of the movies Heathers and Mean Girls.”—San Francisco Book Review
“Provocative and full of insightful takes on toxic friendships, female sexuality and socioeconomic classism, THE DIVINES is a must-read for anyone who has ever been --- or been hurt by --- a teenage girl and lived to tell the tale.”—Bookreporter
”A crumbling all-female boarding school becomes the scene of a tragedy when its privileged students turn against one another in this captivating debut.”—Shelf Awareness
“[A] gripping and riveting read for people who loved Normal People, Girls, and a little bit of Gossip Girl, with witty banter, promiscuous teenagers, and an adult coming to terms with her wild youth.”–Southern Bookseller Review
“THE DIVINES is not your average coming-of-age or boarding school novel – it’s Picnic at Hanging Rock meets I, Tonya, if Tonya Harding ended up being pushed out of a window.”—Booktopia
“The teenage tension and angst among the girls is all too convincing in this compelling story.”—Daily Mail
“Girl crushes, backstabbing, the confounding illusion of popularity — all of these marks of female adolescence tantalize and trouble in The Divines. Lingering questions, unresolved tension, the magnifying glass we use to examine the smallest of slights — so much is captured in so few words. For fans of Jardine Libaire and Madeline Stevens, Eaton’s first turn makes for an utterly unmissable debut.”—Paperback Paris
“The Divines is a book about legacy and self-perception—about the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves—and one that wonders whether we don’t sometimes choose the ghosts that haunt us.”—9 Best Campus Novels, Publishers Weekly