The School Run by Ali Lowe

Publisher's Synopsis

Every year, the reputable Queensland institution of St. Ignatius, affectionately called Iggy, hosts a Gala Day. This battle of brains and brawn, where 11-year-olds vie for a spot inside those hallowed ivory walls, directly affects admissions and determines the path of each and every candidate.

But in the cutthroat environment of elite academia, three mothers will stop at nothing to see their boys succeed. As Gala Day draws near, one scholarly prospect is struck down in a hit-and-run, and as whispers escalate to accusations, scandals and lies unravel until the only question on everyone’s mind is: who will be left standing?

My Review of The School Run by Ali Lowe

The School Run presents a domestic drama filled with take no prisoners mums all desperate to get their beloved sons into an exclusive high school. The lengths they will go to, the backs they’re prepared to stab and the good names they will off-handedly trash makes this a can’t-look-away page turner.

Everyone’s trying to get their sons into the uber-exclusive St Ignatius College and will go to pretty much any lengths to achieve the goal. It certainly brings out the worst in some of the mums in some pretty cringy ways. But it also makes for some lively exchanges too with shameless big-noting and the most callous back-biting proving to be de rigueur amongst these single-minded women.

The story focuses mainly on 3 mothers, Estella, Bec and Kaya each with sons and they’re all desperate to get them into this exclusive school. But it soon becomes obvious that each of these three women have a secret in their pasts, something that could be devastating to them and their sons’ prospects should it be revealed. So, from early on, we’re teased with the “other side” of their lives knowing that we’re about to be hit around the chops with some pretty wild revelations.

As we lead up to the big Gala Day where the prospective Iggy’s students will be selected as worthy for enrolling in the school, the story moves at a sedate pace. Through this phase of the story, we come to understand just how unlikable each of the main characters can be. They’re under pressure and filled with nervous expectations.

Post-Gala Day and things pick up in the most dramatic way possible. Everyone’s lives have suddenly exploded and we’re hit with one shocking twist and revelation after another.

This is a story that starts out as a straightforward domestic drama set within a small insulated community. But behind the petty squabbling and competition to be seen as better than the rest lies a series of lies and secrets that could cause their respective worlds to shift. First of all, we get an idea of just how small and insulated Pacific Pines actually is and second, just how far the mothers will go to protect their children.

This is a character driven drama that should appeal to anyone who appreciates the complexities surrounding friendships and the tolerance that comes into play. I quickly categorised each of the principal characters based on the first impressions presented to me. I later realised just how badly I had underestimated each of them. Consequently, when their respective real natures were revealed the result was rather cataclysmic.

I thought The School Run was a wonderfully paced story that was perfectly plotted to maximise the intrigue, trickling out the details of each woman’s secrets in just the right measure. It all culminates in a very satisfying ending that even manages to extend the intrigue to the very last word.