The Expectations
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4.3 • 9 Ratings
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
From "a dazzling new voice in American fiction" (Jennifer Egan), a finely drawn portrait of American privilege and a subtle exploration of class, race, and tradition.
St. James is an exclusive New England boarding school known for grooming generations of leaders. Ben Weeks is a true insider -- his ancestors helped found St. James, his older brother taught him all the slang, and he's just won a national championship in squash.
But after fourteen long years of waiting, Ben arrives at school only to find that the reality of St. James doesn't quite match up with his imaginings. At the same time, his new roommate, Ahmed Al-Khaled, the son of a fabulously wealthy Emirati sheik, can't navigate the unspoken rules of New England blue bloods. Even as Ben and Ahmed struggle to prove themselves in the place they have revered for so long, each of them must face losing it forever.
Tender, sharp, and evocative, The Expectations is a compelling novel about the pain and treachery of adolescence, and the difficulty -- wherever one finds oneself -- of truly belonging.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Tilney's rewarding debut concerns a freshman at a New Hampshire boarding school in the '90s who finds that high school isn't turning out the way he imagined it would. Fourteen-year-old Ben Weeks arrives at St. James thinking that everything will finally start to go right for him. The school has always been part of his family's life: Ben's father, Harry, helped renovate the squash courts, and Ben's uncle Russell is on the board. Ben's the best boys' squash player in the country, but he quickly becomes disillusioned with it. His dreams of having a best-friend roommate are dashed when he's paired with the sweet and awkward Ahmed Al-Khaled, a target of bullies. Ben also discovers that due to a series of bad investments Harry can't afford to pay his tuition. Since pride and competition with Russell prevent Harry from agreeing to financial aid, Ben agrees to let Ahmed's rich father pick up the tab. Ahmed starts hanging with a stoner crowd that accepts him, though Ben fears that Ahmed will be caught and kicked out. The author effectively touches on matters of class, societal pressures, and what it really means to be cool. Tilney's memorable boarding school novel hits the mark.
