Denham Hall by Bridgette Campbell

An intimate and articulate confession of youthful curiosity, Denham Hall by Bridgette Campbell is a delightful coming-of-age collection that will transport readers back in time, immersing them in a richly imagined world of self-discovery.

With a style best described as a mashup of journaling, podcasting, amateur investigating, and journalism, readers are gently pulled into the dramatic walls of Rickmansworth Young Ladies College, where egos, surnames, and snobbery rule the roost. For Bridgette Campbell, however, and her small circle of fiercely loyal friends, Denham Hall is a playground of imagination and exploration.

The language used by the author is pristine and sharp-edged, giving the prose an upper-class air of elitism, which makes the mischief and antics of Tamsin and Bridgette all the more enveloping. The reading experience feels like being let in on the secret behind-the-scenes world of an all-girls boarding school – from troubling doubts about religion to the fragility of precious friendships, Campbell summons plenty of relatable thematic elements, despite the exclusive social caste of the main characters.

On a technical and aesthetic level, some of the narrative descriptions fall short of the dialogic caliber, often relying on common imagery that isn’t particularly vivid, and an editing sweep could help the flow of the prose. However, this is a witty, whip-smart, and heartfelt work overall. These succinct stories of growing up can stand alone, but character development and plot arcs transcend the individual tales, resulting in a memorable narrative portrait.