Book Review: ‘The Faculty Lounge: A Novel’ By Jennifer Mathieu

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The book is in stores on Tuesday, July 23rd from Dutton. Click on the link to buy a copy. https://amzn.to/3WpxgEm

Mr. Lehrer retired from teaching at Baldwin High School years ago, but is back this year as a substitute teacher. He’s in the faculty lounge on the couch, and he’s dead. After the intitial shock things start to go back to normal until his ashes are let go in the schoolyard one afternoon, and blows into the face of a parent, who had no idea this was taking place. As the days and weeks go along, we follow different teachers and administration, in their personal and private lives. There’s the teacher who has a drinking problem, the two teachers locked in a closet and making out, the principal who is attracted to one of his teachers and thinks about an affair and more. All having to deal with students, pissed-off parents, budget cuts and life at the high school. This is an excellent, well-written character-driven novel.