A good-looking copy. Minor signs of use and shelf wear. Some light creasing on the spine, almost unnoticeable. Sturdy book, with clean pages, no dog ears.
In The School Gates, Ella Burchell, a former professional dancer, relocates to a small town on the KwaZulu-Natal north coast, hoping to rebuild her life after burnout. She lands a job teaching dance at a for-profit private school, but quickly finds herself caught up in the power dynamics of the school’s elite mums.
These mums, who dominate the school gates every morning, run Pines Academy as their own personal fiefdom, and Ella soon finds herself struggling to juggle their endless demands while trying to maintain some semblance of normalcy in her own life.
Just as Ella begins to feel overwhelmed, she meets an attractive cricket coach—but with her hectic schedule, there’s little time for romance.
Fun, fast-paced, and full of sharp wit, The School Gates is a must-read for fans of contemporary fiction that skewers the world of private-school privilege and the complex lives of its inhabitants. Fiona Snyckers, an award-winning author, brings humor and insight to the struggles of modern women navigating the pressures of society, work, and personal life.
Perfect for readers who enjoy humorous, character-driven stories about community dynamics, The School Gates will keep you hooked from start to finish.
“Fiona Snyckers is one of the most talented writers South Africa has. I gobbled up The School Gates in a day because I couldn’t put it down. If you’re looking for your next book club read – you just found it.” Gail Schimmel, author of Never Tell a Lie, a novel
“Snyckers has written another page-turning novel which has depth of subject matter and accuracy of its portrayal of the fierce battles for position on the part of the mothers (and fathers) of pupils at private schools.” Janet van Eeden, Litnet
Fiona Snyckers in the author of the novel, Lacuna, winner of the 2020 South African Literary Award for best novel and the NHSS Award for best fiction by a single author. The School Gates is the third in a loose trilogy of novels that includes Now Following and SPIRE. She lives in Johannesburg.
