“They all liked him. They liked the boy they believed he was.”

I found this at a thrift store and bought it because I’m doing an author study for my lit class and she happened to be one of the authors. I’ve read many of her short stories so I knew what I was getting myself into, however this book in particular grossed me out (more than just the surface level stuff). I understand that this was written in a different time, and homosexuality wasn’t as prevalent. But writing a book that explicitly shows an adult man being accused of preying on his students (particularly the male ones) is just derogatory. Especially when looking at her other books which are all heteronormative.
I understand that this is supposed to show the way people often read too much into teachers and the relationships they hold with their students and how a rumor as such could ruin a person’s life. However it is extremely inappropriate for a teacher to offer their STUDENT a drive home and stop for coffee on the way. Use your head.
The author in the first place I believe is extremely overrated and talked about more than she deserves. Her writing drags and all her novels are essentially the same story over and over. She states in many interviews that all her characters are very different from one another, but I cannot help see them as the same person because they all are predictable and body the same traits.
Dont waste your time with this read or this author.