The Head's Tale

This secret could swamp her.

Miranda Crandell, the Head of Strutthorn Academy, has a brilliant idea to one-up the other elite New England prep schools with their piddling plots of organic veggies for experiential learning: She’ll buy a swamp. Yes, a bog, a quagmire, an oozy acre, where she intends to build a special science center. What she doesn’t account for is Paul Dickersen—her newly hired freshwater biologist, who is strikingly handsome (even in cargo pants) and turns out to be an irresistible lover.

Miranda’s days are fraught with student and personnel issues, but soon she becomes her own big problem. The Head of School is supposed to be a steadfast and principled role model for impetuous teenage students. Instead, Miranda becomes crazed with lust, spiraling into a wild and messy journey of self-discovery. Funny, sexy, and irreverent, The Head’s Tale is a delightful tromp through the muck of prep school drama—and a reminder that the process of growing up never truly ends.

Susan Kinsolving has published four collections of poetry, including Dailies & Rushes, which was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. She has received critical acclaim from The New York Times, The New Yorker, Kirkus Reviews, The Wall Street Journal, Vanity Fair, and Publishers Weekly. The Head's Tale is her first novel.