The culture sparks with idiosyncratic traditions. The erudite faculty demand much of their brilliant students. Amanda's mother, Tess, is Lady MacBeth costumed by Martha Stewart. She's so determined to get her daughter into Dartmouth that she literally loves her to death. And in St. Matthews, she's found the perfect accomplice.
Bunting delineates the schizophrenic prep-school culture with brutal honesty.
The headmaster, old Dr. Passmore, is a rousing advocate for the noble pursuit of intellectual excellence and liberal virtue. While he preaches sweetly about the poetry of Gerard Manly Hopkins, the college-placement officer brags about the school's clout with Ivy League admissions departments. St. Matthews knows how to market its students - how to cram in the most AP courses, the most impressive volunteer work, the most desirable musical instruments. Her love of piano boils away under the pressure to master a piece that will impress Dartmouth. She weighs herself compulsively on a scale calibrated to one-hundredth of a pound.