At Briarwood School for Girls

Knight (Eveningland) follows a cast of unhappily struggling characters in this superior boarding school novel set in 1994 Virginia. Junior Lenore Littlefield reels from her parents’ messy divorce and has told no one at Briarwood School For Girls she is pregnant. As punishment for missing curfew too many times, she is drafted into the Drama Club’s production of the reclusive alumna Eugenia Marsh’s provocative play about a pregnant Briarwood student who communes with the ghost of a schoolgirl suicide victim. The play, incongruously directed by no-nonsense basketball coach Patricia Fink, aligns with real life as Lenore and her roommate use a Ouija board to contact the ghost haunting their dorm. Lenore confides her pregnancy in history teacher Lucas Bishop, who keeps his promise to remain silent but becomes a focus of ire from the administration when he presents vocal opposition to Disney’s (real) plans to develop an American history amusement park near Manassas Battlefield. In the swirl of these crises, the characters make calm but radical plans to combat their personal disappointments. Knight’s characters are memorable and nuanced—a credit to his sharp, skillful writing. This is a stunning novel with a hint of the supernatural that’s sure to delight readers. Agent: Warren Frazier, John Hawkins & Associates. (Apr.)