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Book Review: Alone (The Hill School Girls #1) by A. Coven

It is a fact that most of the time school stories started and ended with characters like Billy Bunter and writers like Enid Blyton. Not so many famous school stories series have had been in circulation, and in India it is almost naught. Ruskin Bond writes about children, however most of his stories are based in the hills with vagrant child protagonists. Recently from India and for Indians, Duckbill publisher has started a school story series called ‘The Hill School Girls’. These stories will have girl(s) as a protagonist. From the series ‘Alone’ is the first book. Let’s see how it goes up.


The book kicks up with a reticent character, Elizabeth. She is bit depresses because her current school is going to be a holistic school where children will be allowed to do lot of interactive things and the whole of the management is changing as well. But she is afraid to embrace this modernity. Due to changes in school, many parents have already pulled out their children. One such student is Pallavi, the best friend of Elizabeth. Without her being around, she is sure to have the worst time of her schooling.

Soon, four girls including Elizabeth start on a recipe project. In the process they discover the roots of the school, who founded it etc., and one of the precious journal-cum-recipe books go missing from her bag. From there the story starts to unravel the mystery behind that lost journal.

The plot of the story is likeable: a stormy term at school for the lonely protagonist that ends with her making new friends. Other characters like Maitreyi, Mahrukh and the moody principal Palak Nanda are apt with their settings. However weak points prevent this book from becoming a classic, beloved school story. First, the characters are not given enough depth or detail for readers to know about them. How can any reader love or hate someone they hardly know? Secondly, the protagonist Elizabeth comes across as a moaning, self-pitying well-behaved rather than a lonely heartsick girl. For instance, not replying to any of one's best friend's mails for a whole term just because one is sad, just rude. Also, the mystery was too simple, with no layers of conspiracy to uncover. Recommended for 9-11 year olds. Girls will enjoy it more than boys, but will not recommend it only for girls since children should be introduced to Indian books by Indian authors as well, and an Indian school story.
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