This is such a refreshing new voice in literary fiction. Okay, the punctuation (or lack thereof) takes a minute to get accustomed to, but it’s part of what makes this story so enticing, as the parallel lusts and experiences almost entwine into one. The romance is impeccably plotted for the slowest burn possible. This lesbian love story is like no other and is perfect for hot languid summer days.

There has been much hype about Mrs S and it’s always interesting to see if the actual novel matches that hype. I can happily report that it did, a burning affair between two women, the headmasters wife and the young Australian matron. You were never sure of the matrons role as she floated between The Girls, their classes and leisure activities. She did a lot of lingering in the shadows just out of sight, watching Mrs S noticing her dress, her mannerisms, imagining her life. Their meetings became more frequent, their desire more apparent. Snatches of time maximised to satisfy that desire literally sizzled from the pages. Patrick’s narrative was intense, it buried deep into the matrons thoughts, hints of a difficult past, of an escape from disapproving parents. Patrick dropped hints as to the location of the school, the dead author, her father who founded the school, the surrounding fells all pointed to Haworth but you were never sure. A question I would quite like to ask! I enjoyed Mrs S for its descriptive narrative for the authors skill and ability to pull its reader, hold them until the end.

I was sent a copy of Mrs S by K Patrick to read and review by NetGalley. While I gave this book 4 stars as overall I enjoyed the novel, there were some things about it that I did struggle with. It took me a while to get into the way it was written as there is no real delineation within the prose, no chapters, no marking when the time frame shifts and no speech marks at all. In fact it is almost a stream of consciousness, sometimes with not even a paragraph break between one ‘scene’ and another. Having said this I thought that the prose itself was well written and being first person it gave a very emotive and emotional feeling to the story. The writing was descriptive and I could picture everything about the location and the characters, however, I may be deemed a prude but personally I could have done without such explicit sex scenes!

Mrs S is a poignant, immersive and gut wrenching story full of queer love, longing and finding ones self. This book was tender, yet tough. A fascinating account of one matron's desire, longing and adoration for Mrs S and the affair that ensues between them. First and foremost, the stream of consciousness narrative was both exhilarating yet challenging, evoking so much emotion into the characters and their communication despite the lack of dialogue. It made for such a unique reading experience and ultimately aided my love for the book. Placing a dark academia setting as a backdrop to this novel was also AMAZING. I adored the imagery that blossomed from this atmosphere! With classic 'dark academia' motifs, the environmental and religious antidotes laced throughout the pages, all cleverly reflected the characters experiences and feelings towards one another. This is such a special book, that is unique and experimental in its narrative and heart wrenching at its core. I would highly recommend!

Mrs. S is an incredible piece of literature - between the story telling and narrative techniques, I was so hooked from start to finish. Like the Main Character I was utterly obsessed with Mrs. S and found myself eating up and over analysing every time she was on the page. I really enjoyed the writing style of this book, even though at times it could get confusing differentiating between who was speaking. You do adapt to the writing style and actually come to appreciate it! It demands your full attention, a stark contrast to the characterisation of the Main Character who would rather not have anyone’s attention. I also loved the lurid sensuality of the relationship between the Main Character and Mrs. S as I felt it really reflected the overarching themes of the story. This was a really powerful novel and would highly recommend to anyone!