In Corinne Sullivan's novel, INDECENT, Imogene Abney has always been fascinated by the elite world of prep schools. She has secretly wanted to attend one since she was a young girl in Buffalo.

Soon after college graduation, she receives a prestigious apprenticeship to teach at the Vanderberg School for Boys in Scarsdale, New York. She accepts although she's shy, introverted, has little teaching experience and even less experience with boys.

Soon she's having an affair with one of the boys, Adam Kipling, aka Kip, who has no fear of being caught, or facing consequences. The boys of Vanderberg are the leaders of tomorrow and feel entitled to anything the world offers.

But what about Imogene. She is so out of her league and lost in the haze of first love, that she never looks at the potential consequences. She doesn't worry about losing her job or even the possibility that this is a crime - illegal and indecent.

Imogene was a character hard to like. She goes through life, as if it's a play and she's a character. INDECENT claims to explore issues of class, sex and gender, and even victimhood, but I don't buy that. I do believe it's a study in moral ambiguity, which is an excellent topic for these current times.

I must add, the cover is clever.

The book was well-written, but the story was like watching a trainwreck, which I'm guessing was the intent. The main character was amazingly coherent for someone so low in self-esteem and self-love. I can see how it was a trip for some readers, but I didn't care for it. #netgalley #Indecent

This book made me wildly uncomfortable and became a dnf at 60%.

I just couldn't get into this book for some reason. I almost DNF it, but forced myself to read until the end so I could give an accurate review. I was just disgusted with so many of the decisions that the main character made throughout the book. The book just made me feel anxious and disappointed the whole time I was reading it. Unfortunately, this was just wasn't for me.

Imogene has this ideal version of private schools. Green trees, blazers, boys. She always wanted to attend a private school, but instead settled for her local high school and a state school for college.

And then the opportunity to teach at an all-boys school becomes available and Imogene gets to live her dream of a private school.

And then she meets a student. And starts texting with the student. and then enters into a sexual relationship with the student. He pursues her. He makes her feel beautiful and sexy, something she's struggled with her entire life. He WANTS her.

Imogene is....a piece of work. There's not a lot of characters written like her. She's kind of weird, she's clearly depressed, she's lonely. Part of me felt sorry for her, the other part of me wanted to shake her.

Corinne Sullivan writes very well. The voice of Imogene is uncomfortable in that perfect early 20's way that so many girls/women are. I know I was awkward as hell at 22, but....I wasn't sleeping with students so....

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I loved this book!! I really think the author could come out with a sequel, so that we can see what Imogene does next. This book is about a 22 year old teacher's apprentice at an all boys boarding school, and she ends up falling for one of the students. I could not put this book down, I wanted to keep reading and find out what happened next. Looking forward to more books by Corinne Sullivan.

Imogene has in her head that prep schools are the end all of all be all. She wishes that she had been one of the elite but now she has the chance to teach at one.
She begins her job but the whole time you are getting to know her..she has severe insecurities and you just know something ain't right.

Then one night she goes on a walk and meets one of the fourth year students. She is so flattered by him and let's be honest. He is a little weasel.

He keeps showing up and texting her and she is ever so flattered. Then begins the affair.


Now you would think that this story would be about a whack job predator wouldn't you? Teacher seducing the student thing..but it's not. Imogene is too off the charts for it to be that.

She is completely on her own realm. That realm is totally her own.



The whole time I was reading this book I couldn't figure her out. One minute I would sorta feel sorry for her and then the next I wanted to smack the shit out of her.

I even thought maybe she was the product of a bad life and wanted her to have some redeeming character. I kept thinking surely there had to be some reason that she is like this. Then I'd want to see her smacked once again.



So all I can say about this book is don't go into it expecting anything. Just read it and shake your head...and say "Bless her heart."

Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.

This is such an interesting view in switching ideas of who is a victim!

"Indecent" is an uncomfortable but compulsive read. It reminded me in some ways of Alissa Nutting's "Tampa", the main difference being that the protagonist in "Tampa" shows no remorse for her behavior whatsoever, while Imogene is almost completely self-deprecating. However, Imogene's constant struggle with her moral ambiguity is what kept me reading - there are portions of the story where her decisions (or lack thereof) are infuriating and embarrassing, giving the reader plenty to ponder. The book ended in a lackluster way - I can't decide if there was too much closure given, or not enough. Definitely worth the read!

Thanks to NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

This book caught me off guard in so many ways. For one, I went in blind, which is unusual for me. I normally read the synopsis to a book before I start reading it, but for this one, I dove right in. I was pleasantly surprised, too! I enjoyed this writer's style and voice. The voice is detached, which is appropriate for our main character and narrator, Imogene. She's a girl detached from her family, friends, and fellow apprentices at Vandenberg School for Boys. A mere bystander of her surroundings, and I appreciated that the story is told in a way that reflects this. In the beginning, she observes everything, thinking no one notices her. Until Adam, a student, does. From there, Imogene's life spirals. She's not used to being noticed or doing anything wrong, but when she becomes involved with Adam, she's not only noticed by her peers and superiors, she's also scrutinized and pressured. This book is about grappling with our circumstances, accepting our realities, and growing up, among others.
One thing that I didn't like was the long lull in the book about halfway through. The pace in general isn't very quick until the end, which is fine, but it did make reading this middle part tedious at times. The repetition was also tedious. I felt that I was reading the same thoughts and reactions two thirds in instead of something in the character changing. This is also something that bothered me. I kept waiting for this Aha! moment for the character, something to redeem herself in even the smallest of ways, but I'm not sure it ever came. For fear of spoilers, I'll stop there :)
In general, this story and character are very relatable, showing what it's like to not only enter adulthood, but to face the pressures of social and economic status. The often terrifying trials of finding your place in the world when so many people and situations act against you. At the end of the day, Imogene just wants to be herself and to be accepted as such by people, even though she doesn't always give them a chance. This is a common flaw in human nature that I feel is portrayed very well in the story. Just one of the things done effectively. I'm honestly surprised that this is the author's first novel. It's so well written and executed that I thought it must've been by a longtime novelist. I'm excited to see where this author goes from here.

The blurb says that this book explores "issues of class, sex, and gender." I got the class part, and I guess you could argue the gender part. But sex? There isn't a whole lot of exploring that.

Indecent is a coming-of-age book masquerading as a novel of Important Thoughts. The problem with this is that the heroine (such as she is) pretty much tells you from the opening chapters that she is unstable and unreliable. Every time Imogene comes in contact with an attractive man, she envisions their life together, going so far as to picture morning coffees and breakfast nook chats. So when she finds herself captivated by a seventeen-year-old student at the all boys' boarding school where she works, you sense that this will not turn out well for her.

Imogene lies and dissembles when it suits her, yet when others do it, she finds it appaling behavior. At one point, she howls in a crying rage so loudly that she is affronted that no one comes to check on her. So when she claims that certain things happen, you begin to wonder if in fact they did. Her perceptions are skewed, to say the least.

I did believe her, for the most part. Or should I say that I believed that she believed what was happening. Yet I never sympathized with her. I imagine this is purposeful on Corinne Sullivan's part, otherwise we would find a child molester an empathetic person. Because let's be quite clear: in having sex with a student, Imogene molests a child. Not that the boy is all that innocent, mind you. But at seventeen, he also isn't aware of the ramifications of his behavior, whereas Imogene is - or should be, anyway.

This book earns three stars because I kept reading and had to find out how it would all play out. I liked some of the characters, but Imogene is so awful that I hoped her downfall would be catastrophic. I'm not even sure I wished that she would learn from her mistakes because that would imply that she has some emotional depth.

I went through moments of reading this in which I thought, "This would be a fun book club book." But when I finished it, I wasn't sure. What could you debate? What could you discuss?

If you read this one, please come back and let me know your thoughts.

When we read about female teachers who sleep with students, they all seem to be young and incredibly pretty and super confident---sort of like the "cool girl" rant from Gone Girl. Imogene is not that girl. She's painfully shy and compulsively picks at her face. She's not awful in any way, but she's the complete definition of average. 

When the relationship starts, Imogene basically initially is carried away by its momentum. Adam Kipling ("Kip") pursues her, and she basically is very "This is not my fault; I tried to resist." Except she really didn't. Picture the world's flattest delivery of "You should go; you can't be here."

Once things turn physical, it starts to switch. Kip isn't super into her anymore (or, slightly more accurately, it's the push-pull relationship that we've all had at least once) and she starts to get a little obsessive. Like repeatedly texting and occasionally showing up and just in general doing everything that girls know they're not supposed to do but do anyway, especially when they're young (as Imogene is).

There is a steadily increasing sense of dread as the novel continues. Initially, there are multiple ways it can end well and all of those options start slowly falling apart. I wouldn't say I necessarily liked Imogene, but I felt horrible for her.

This book is incredibly thought-provoking and I think it's a great choice for book clubs. Recommended.

Oh man, that main character was a piece of work! I spent the entire book screaming at her and all the wrong choices she made and thoughts she had! I couldn't put this one down until I figured out what happened in the end. Definitely an interesting book!

Indecent Just Barely Makes the Grade

This debut novel of the prep school variety by Corrine Sullivan chronicles a teaching apprentice’s first semester at fancy boy’s high school Vandenberg in Scarsdale, New York. Imogene hasn’t the life experience nor the guts to really deal with her feelings of not belonging and the serious contrast between her average intelligence and middle-class upbringing and the innate privilege and pure animal masculinity of these rich teenagers threatens her mental health. Most of the action takes place between our main character and Kip, a popular student she begins a completely inappropriate intimacy with and we don’t get to know her as well as we could–cringing takes a lot out of a reader–her growth basically stunted by the relationship. While the politics of sexuality add a thought-provoking dimension, Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld remains the gold standard for elite school drama.

Wendy Ward
http://wendyrward.tumblr.com/

I wasn't a fan of this. It just didn't catch or keep my attention at all.

Maybe some folks would like this story but it wasn’t my cup of tea . From the controversial plot to the slow pace the story couldn’t keep to hold my attention. Thank you Netgallery for providing me with an ARC of this book

Unfortunately this book was a dud for me. I couldn't even struggle all the way through it. Imogene was annoying, the plot was too slow, and reading it just felt like a chore. Sorry, but Indecent will be my first DNF of 2018.

Not really my type of book. Do not think teachers should date students. I know other people loved this one but it was not my favorite.

Indecent by Corinne Sullivan is about Imogene Abney, a first-year teaching apprentice at a prestigious all-boys boarding school. Imogene finds herself in the orbit of a generation of future leaders, boys from wealthy families who have never heard the word no before. Before long, Imogene begins an affair with one of these boys. The story follows this 'relationship' and its inevitable end.

The content of this book will definitely turn some people away, but as I've written before in previous reviews, I like dark. A story of a teacher having an affair with a student is definitely dark, and Sullivan really delves into the darkness and the hysteria that this affair causes Imogene. Imogene is the narrator and she tries to convince the reader, as well as herself, that she is in a love story. But I wasn't buying it. Imogene isn't in a love story novel. This book is a character study of a woman on the verge of a total mental and life breakdown.

My major problem with the book was that I couldn't stand Imogene. She has a serious inferiority complex as well as a serious superiority complex. She makes some of the dumbest decisions I've ever seen a character make. She is the instigator of her own destruction but doesn't seem to grasp her own culpability. I think that Sullivan does a good job of showing that Imogene is not necessarily a villain, but rather naive, immature, and generally lost. I just couldn't connect with Imogene and her insistence that her salvation lay with this one teenage boy. Every time Imogene imagined what her future would be like with Kip, I wanted to punch her.

While I didn't have any objection to the content of the book (in my opinion, fiction is a great place to discuss these taboo subjects without hurting actual victims), I found Imogene so insufferable that it tainted the book for me.

Recommended for people who like books on taboo subjects but who are not bothered by really dumb characters.

An interesting character exploration into a 22 year-old teaching assistant having an affair with a 17 boy at a private school. It touches on issues of class, power, sexual/emotional maturity and more, but focuses mainly as a character study of Imogene. I would have liked to have seen it go deeper into the bigger issues, but would recommend it to people that really like character-driver stories.