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Title:
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Pet |
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Authors:
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Chidgey, Catherine |
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Genre:
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Fiction: New Zealand |
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Pages:
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349 |
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Year:
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2023 |
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Language:
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English |
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Description:
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Visiting her father in a rest home, Justine meets his caregiver Sonia, who bears an uncanny resemblance to her teacher of thirty years earlier, thrusting Justine back to the tumultuous year when she was twelve ... to a Wellington convent school and the charismatic Mrs Price of 'divide and conquer' classroom rules, casual cruelty, and questionable power dynamics.
Told in two timelines, this is an unsettling, all-too believable psychological thriller of misplaced trust and 1980s suburbia.
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Categories:
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Fiction, Fiction NZ, Culture/Ethnic/Racial, Morals/Ethics, Relationships, Social commentary/perspectives, Suspense/Thriller, Young narrator, Gothic, Popular Fiction, Larger font, Group Favourites, Staff Pick, 2025 Titles, New Adult |
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By: HAMIL 007
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2026-03-07 12:36:07 |
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Everyone agreed that it was a well-written book. However, many had problems with the feasibility of the plot. The children's characters were well drawn and believable, but most of us struggled with Mrs Price. The book was very evocative of N.Z. in the 80s, and many of us could identify with the trends mentioned. |
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By: CHCH 238
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2026-02-26 13:26:56 |
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A suspenseful read. Well-written. |
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By: CHCH 422
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2026-02-11 13:11:08 |
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A great read which brought back memories of our own childhoods in New Zealand. It was felt there was bit of a disconnect between the past and present but a book that was really enjoyed. Members of the group want to read more by Catherine Chidgey. |
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By: WELL 093
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2026-02-07 16:32:07 |
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A great read with an undercurrent of evil! |
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By: ASHB 016
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2025-12-01 07:08:16 |
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Loved this book - this is the second one of hers that we have read this year. Love the twists and turns - great story. We loved how it reminded us of our childhoods too - things at school that we had forgotten. Great discussion about this story and how no-one realised until the end and the ending was great too - because the mystery remains. I have just read her new book and loved it as well - great author and I'll be following her now for sure. Each story is so completely different. |
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By: AUCK 406
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2025-11-17 11:39:26 |
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Really enjoyed this book. We liked both the predictability and the surprises. |
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By: NELS 020
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2025-11-07 17:21:48 |
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Intriguing, with a gradual building of tension. A gripping book with many layers. |
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By: CHCH 268
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2025-10-30 10:00:17 |
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Captured the era, we could all relate to it. Loved the nostalgia. Tightly written, gripping subject. We all read the book. Atmosphere was developed cleverly. |
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By: DUNED 001
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2025-10-15 11:33:17 |
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Mixed opinions - led to good discussion with very varied views. All agreed it is very well-written. |
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By: WELL 189
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2025-09-20 08:04:10 |
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A 'creepy' story. Generated a nostalgic discussion about schools in the 1980s (when many of us were at primary school ourselves!), and the universal "unfair" feeling of teachers or influential adults playing favourites. Also discussed the power of guilt and how it follows us through our lives. On a lighter note, we enjoyed the flashback memory about 80s toys and lollies! We liked the clever approach of telling the story through a child's perspective, overlaid with the unsettling/chilling perspective of an adult reader observing the manipulation and power dynamics between teacher and child. |
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By: GISB 003
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2025-08-20 11:33:27 |
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Most of the group found the book a bit far fetched in places. |
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By: AUCK 137
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2025-07-02 13:29:12 |
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Full group agreement about 'Pet'. We considered the book to be a skilful exploration of manipulation, cruelty, casual racism ( of the 1980s), betrayal and guilt. As readers we were drawn into these complex psychosocial themes and the dark side of human nature. 'Pet' succeeded in keeping up totally engaged in the suspense of the unfolding story. Mrs Price will be remembered! |
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By: ROTO 002
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2025-06-24 10:13:18 |
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Intense discussion. Evocative of the childhood of some members, particularly those with Catholic schooling. The slow build of tension and the sense of foreboding is deceptively simple, but masterful storytelling. |
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By: CHCH 239
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2025-05-15 10:03:10 |
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An easy read from a great writer. Some criticism of the contrived symbolism and lack of intrigue. |
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By: CAMB 007
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2025-05-07 10:03:54 |
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Not enjoyed by everyone but an accurate portrayal of a Catholic girls' school in the 1980s. Very well-written, particularly the characters, but the story took too long to get anywhere. No surprises - it was pretty obvious from early on that the teacher was not 'right in the head'. Excellent cover - it had all the items of the story encapsulated. |
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By: HAVE 005
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2025-04-23 13:48:10 |
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We were divided in our opinions. Some didn't like the psychological nature of the story; one or two thought it wasn't up to the author's usual standard, but most thoroughly enjoyed it. |
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By: TAKA 004
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2024-08-21 10:26:55 |
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We enjoyed reading this book - the author set the scene of the 1980s from a pre-teen's perspective with skill and detail. She built tension with a slow burn, and most of us were gripped till the end. Discussion was animated, including sharing of some of our own memorable school experiences. We also had the insight that the author subtly blurred the lines of abuse, and pointed out our tolerance of it in the 1980s and before. |
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By: CHCH 125
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2024-08-05 09:49:45 |
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An enjoyable read, rekindled many childhood memories and generated lots of discussion. |
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By: BLENH 029
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2024-06-25 10:34:30 |
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Well-written, bleak content. Most group members found the book difficult to read because of the predatory teacher and the vulnerable student. Lots of discussion. |
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By: CHCH 544
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2024-04-16 09:35:16 |
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6 out of 7 loved this book and it brought back many memories of our own school experience. It was an easy exciting read. |
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