Mrs. S

By: K Patrick

Narrated by: Katherine Littrell

A sublime and sensual debut novel exploring the nature of queer love and attraction, the transformative power of desire, and the dissonance between self and place, by White Review Fiction Prize shortlisted writer K Patrick

In an elite English boarding school where the girls kiss the marble statue of the famous dead author who used to walk the halls, a butch antipodean outsider arrives to take up the antiquated role of “matron.” Within this landscape of immense privilege, where difference is met with hostility, the matron finds herself unsure of her role, her accent and her body.

That is until she meets Mrs. S, the headmaster’s wife, a woman who is her polar opposite—an assured, authoritative paragon of femininity. Over the course of a long, restless summer, their unspoken yearning blooms into an illicit affair of electric intensity. But, as the summer fades, a choice must be made.

Seductive, stylish, and disarmingly wry, K Patrick’s bold and revelatory debut smolders with the heat of summer as it explores the queer experience and the force of forbidden love.

©2023 K Patrick (P)2023 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved. Quotation on p.v by Hilda Doolittle, from Collected Poems, 1912–1944, © 1982 by The Estate of Hilda Doolittle.

Critic reviews

“Katherine Littrell's sultry voice is as luscious and irresistible as Patrick's prose in this steamy coming-of-age novel about a young woman who falls in love with the much older wife of the headmaster at the elite girls school where she works. Much of the novel takes place deep inside the unnamed protagonist's mind as she analyzes her own desires. Littrell masterfully voices her internal turmoil, alongside the sexy and often fraught scenes between her and Mrs. S. Littrell's characterization of the housemistress, the only other queer person in the narrator's life, is especially poignant. The scenes between the narrator and the housemistress come alive with laughter and camaraderie, in contrast to the pained intensity of the rest of the novel.”—AudioFile Magazine

“Patrick’s deft manipulation of narrative time and use of interior monologue to describe the tensions among thought, intention, and action recall the work of Virginia Woolf... The drama of the forbidden affair keeps the reader voraciously turning the pages, but on a deeper level, the novel also offers an incisive and nuanced reflection on self-evolution as the narrator navigates the complexities of gender identity, social power, and the dynamic tension between private and public selves. An erotic yet high-minded literary achievement.—Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)

“Revelatory... Patrick makes palpable the compromises required by secret love, and though the romance is aching and well crafted, what emerges above all is a fascinating character portrait, that of a woman obscure to the world but radiant inside.”—Publishers Weekly

Wonderful debut novel!

Wonderful debut novel! Read like poetry.

Particularly enjoyed that the protagonist wasn't limited to one gender's societal conditioning; refreshing and empowering representation.

Great arc in protagonist's story.

Excellent performance and writing

I found this book to be extremely well done. in many parts, poetic. The writing style creates a tension that is completely believable. The performance is top notch as well!!

Discovery Squared

This was a fascinating narrative. The main character is seeking for a place.....to live, to be authentic, to escape former places of judgement and turmoil. The world hasn't changed but her place might. She discovers friendship, passion and meaning.

Tremendous performance

Haven’t yet fully processed the story, but one of the best audiobook voice performances I’ve heard.

The story: a slow burn, but when it escalates, it escalates. A really compelling foray into intergenerational queer romance.

Bought on a whim 100% glad I did,

Incredible story line and dynamic narration. A wonderful study in identity with enough heat, angst and emotional substance that I listened to it all in less than 24 hours. I was so engrossed in the journey that the MC was experiencing that I felt like I was there. As a more masculine identified person(Butch) myself this was a very validating read. Wish there had been such amazing books in the 1970's. I am infused with gratitude for authors like K. Patrick who are writing books that help folks who feel or have felt unseen, spread their wings and be seen. I am hoping that K. Patrick continues to create such awesome characters with such important journeys to walk. This is the first work I have heard Katherine Littrell narrate, a wonderful voice with clear pronunciation and smooth delivery. I look forward to more narration from them too.

Extraordinary

This is a difficult book to review. The easiest part is the narrator, who did an excellent job. I will keep her in mind if I see other books narrated by her. The story is much more difficult to review. The plot is quite simple: a young lesbian falls in love with the headmaster's wife at an all-girl's boarding school. The point of view is from the young woman. She lives in a world outside time, possibly the 1980s or 90s, but we are not allowed to know. No characters have names, except for Mrs. S, and her name is nothing more than this. All the other characters are named just by their job titles: the history teacher, the art teacher, etc. So our unnamed MC falls for Mrs. S, who much to the MC's shock, falls for her. But difficulties ensue for two reasons. The first, of course, is that Mrs. S is married. The second reason, and the point of the book, is that Mrs. S is mired her her own heterosexuality. Mrs. S is obviously bisexual but can not see outside the heteronormative forms of her life. She is stuck on what is considered right and proper, without regard to what she really wants or needs. And in the end, what Mrs. S wants and needs most is the stability of maintaining that heterosexual lifestyle - even if it means losing her real love in our MC. The MC has the sense to understand that being gay is not just what you do between the sheets. It's a characteristic of life that can not be untwined from daily living. Being gay is something outside of a binary opposite of heterosexuality - it is an entirely different way of seeing the world and living within it. Mrs. S can not see this, will never be able to see this, and that is the tragedy of the book. So we get to see the love develop and then finally fail. But within this narrative is such beauty of writing. It is lyrical without being ostentatious or complex. It is easy to understand why the MC fell into love and then why she left. And even in its heartbreak, there is a beauty of life lived, of growth, and of moving to a better future. This is truly a beautiful book.

Poetry & Passion

Katherine Littrell brings these characters to life with masterful ease. The slow burn of these forbidden lovers finding private moments to steal away, made my pulse race. Well written and wonderfully performed!