Magic, human sacrifice and bodysnatching: Lili Wilkinson’s new novel

YOUNG ADULT
Unhallowed Halls
Lili Wilkinson
Allen & Unwin, $24.99

THE first day at a new school is one of the most stressful milestones in a young person’s life, but few have experienced a first day quite as intense as that of Page Whittaker, the tortured, headstrong heroine in Lili Wilkinson’s gripping dark academia fantasy for young adults.

The contemporary mother of the genre, Donna Tartt, published A Secret History in 1992, but has since attracted a new generation of readers drawn to aesthetically pleasing Ivy League settings where privileged students wear Oxfords, read Homer and solve murders.

In Unhallowed Halls, the imposing Agathion College dominates Scotland’s desolate Rannoch Moor and has been the last stop for wayward teens for more than 1000 years. There are no set terms, holidays or regular graduations and their motto, animus supra corpus (mind over body), is not taken lightly.

Page arrives at the exclusive boarding school for “posh f---ups” without any luggage, but with plenty of emotional baggage. Unlike regular high schools, each carefully selected student is assigned a mentor and teacher, called Magistras, who ensures students adhere to the classical Greek curriculum.

It’s taken so seriously that on her first morning, Page wakes up to find a knife on her pillow and the entire bed wrapped in fine, red thread. Her task is to remove herself without cutting a single thread. It’s the first of several troubling incidents that escalate throughout the book. (At her former school, Page had something to do with a shocking event: a teacher self-combusted in front of her and her girlfriend Cassie; all that remained were ashes and a permanently traumatised former lover.)

Wilkinson’s heroine is quick-witted, astute and brave, but what makes her relatable are her vulnerabilities and flaws – is this the first crumpet-loving warrior with endometriosis?

Almost immediately, she’s drawn to an intriguing clique of students with esoteric interests. This core group of hugely likeable and gender diverse characters (knitters, Wiccans and tarot readers) are the offspring of the rich and powerful, but each bear a burden that can only be lifted when they collectively battle a secret society determined to destroy them. For some, Page is a puzzle to be solved, or an intriguing enigma; to the Magistras, Page is a key to unlocking multiverse mayhem.

Wilkinson’s 14th novel (not counting several books for young readers) takes the bones of the “dark academia” genre and creates an atmospheric, intricate world that is sometimes as comforting as freshly baked scones and at others acutely unnerving. Aside from the screaming, epic battles, human sacrifice and bodysnatching, it’s also pithy, playful and flirty, and the banter between Page and Oak (a potential love interest) is at its most entertaining when they trade Shakespearean insults, including “Thou damned and luxurious mountain goat”, “Thou has no more brain than I have in mine elbows” and “Thou art a boil, a plague sore, loathsome as a toad”.

Some books demand to be read at breakneck speed, and while Unhallowed Halls can safely be described as a page-turner, it’s best enjoyed at a more leisurely pace, allowing the time to appreciate the level of detail required to create such a powerfully imagined world, where ancient standing stones demand offerings.

Wilkinson avoids a broad brush, instead drawing the reader’s attention to small but impactful details that ultimately deliver a vivid universe. There is no better example than when book-loving Page first discovers the college’s library, declaring that “books are safe”, “books are better than people”. I lost count of the literary references scattered throughout the book (Austen, Eliot, Morrison, Shakespeare, Angelou, Tennyson, Dickens and all the Brontës), with each one feeling like an invitation to the curious to make their own literary discoveries.

The action and intrigue are expertly plotted, but it’s the author’s ability to write convincingly about what it feels like to be a teenager - exploring desires, friendships, conflict and insecurities - that stands out. A recurring theme is the characters’ quest to tame their adolescent bodies, suppress and control emotions, along with a dreaded fear that deep inside, they’re more bad than good – which all perfectly aligns with each character’s need to be understood.

In the end, everyone has an inner demon; and when it comes to a showdown, Unhallowed Halls is an important reminder that it’s less about slaying and more about surrounding yourself with friends you can trust.

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