Position of Trust

Gray’s disturbing, droll debut novel details the intertwined scandals at Chancery Grammar School, a high-profile institution run by a nefarious, megalomaniacal headmaster named Mr. Baxter.

Secretary Rose Maylie, a rather frustrating and troubled narrator who’s in the middle of a divorce, begins her story bluntly: “Few things ruin the reputation of a distinguished grammar school quite like a sex scandal.” With its conclusion already hinted at, readers will suspect each introduced character of being the alleged culprit. However, the entangled Chancery employees quickly insinuate their malevolent intentions and long-kept secrets, complicating the plot further. Rose, struggling through a self-proclaimed “misandric phase,” establishes early on her disgust for Headmaster Baxter, or as another secretary christened him: “Bullying Baxter’d.” Yet when he asks her to be his personal secretary, his power bewitches her. With her brains and his command, they begin a covert investigation into certain employees’ personal scandals, which quickly escalates into a romantic affair between them, full of restrained passion. Gray’s characterization of Rose is intricate and thorough, so much so that it becomes aggravating to watch her consistently make ill-fated choices and self-deprecating judgments. She claims that “[t]here are two types of people who are happy: the ignorant and the deluded,” yet she’s still fully aware that “[m]y logic was influenced by my own losses: I had suffered much and was owed my portion of happiness.” As a self-described lonely woman, she allows herself to be seduced. The story is nevertheless absorbing, almost menacing, as the characters become increasingly unlikable. Still, Gray’s novel will be a satisfying read for fans of dramatic literature and grotesque characters.

A jarring page-turner packed with sex, betrayal and delicious dark comedy.