The book is set in late 1930s in an alternate world and one can draw many parallels between the persecution of Jews in real history and that of Christians in the book. The Prime Minister aka Old Man could very well be Adolf Hitler.

Alternate interpretation of History

The Betrayals depicts what it’s like to be a woman in a man’s world, where even a normal mistake you make will be attributed to your gender - Being the pioneer in a path where no women has traveled before.Magister Claire Dryden goes through all the facets of this predicament.

A Woman in a man’s world

The love stories you encounter in The Betrayals are not made for fairy tales. There is no love at first sight. It doesn’t soothe or swoon or serenade. Their love is “full of desire and hostility, reflections and shadows.”According to the author, “The Betrayals is in part a book about the joy we find in our playmates, in moments of shared humour or creativity, in seeing and being seen.”

Darker side of love

In the world of The Betrayals, Grand jeu is a mixture of literature, music, maths, philosophy and everything else that’s complex yet beautiful in this world.You are taken through a journey of surprises, vivid descriptions and poetic language.According to the author, it’s “an elusive game that combines maths, music and ideas in an atmosphere of meditation.”

Real magic is knowledge

The book talks about a kind of arcane game called the grand jeu. It’s unlike any magic system we have read about. In fact, one initially wonders if it is magic or really good science.It’s unlike the world of Harry Potter, the <a href="https://amzn.to/2SanIyG" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">scholomance</a> world of Naomi Novik or the <a href="https://amzn.to/35z4GVM" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">world of Lev Grossman</a> or the world of <a href="https://amzn.to/3q8cPdn" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern</a> though I found a lot of parallels.According to the author, The Betrayals was inspired by Hermann Hesse’s novel <a href="https://amzn.to/3vF2d6T" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Glass Bead Game</a>

A different kind of Magic

In summary, The Betrayals unravels slowly with one glorious twist after the other. Some are predictable, some not so much. The book itself resembles a tantalising gothic structure.

Glorious twists

“Dizzyingly wonderful . . . a perfectly constructed work of fiction, with audacious twists . . . Collins plays her own game here with perfect skill.” — The Times (UK) An intricate and utterly spellbinding literary epic brimming with enchantment, mystery, and dark secrets from the highly acclaimed author of the #1 international bestseller The Binding. If your life was based on a lie, would you risk it all to tell the truth? At Montverre, an ancient and elite academy hidden high in the mountains, society’s best and brightest are trained for excellence in the grand jeu—the great game—an arcane and mysterious competition that combines music, art, math, poetry, and philosophy. Léo Martin once excelled at Montverre but lost his passion for scholarly pursuits after a violent tragedy. He turned to politics instead and became a rising star in the ruling party, until a small act of conscience cost him his career. Now he has been exiled back to Montverre, his fate uncertain. But this rarified world of learning Léo once loved is not the same place he remembers. Once the exclusive bastion of men, Montverre’s most prestigious post is now held by a woman: Claire Dryden, also known as the Magister Ludi, the head of the great game. At first, Léo feels an odd attraction to the magister—a mysterious, eerily familiar connection—though he’s sure they’ve never met before. As the legendary Midsummer Game approaches—the climax of the academy’s year—long-buried secrets rise to the surface and centuries-old traditions are shockingly overturned. A highly imaginative and intricately crafted literary epic, The Betrayals confirms Bridget Collins as one of the most inventive and exquisite new voices in speculative fiction.

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International Bestseller!“Dizzyingly wonderful . . . a perfectly constructed work of fiction, with audacious twists . . . Collins plays her own game here with perfect skill.” — The Times (UK) An intricate and utterly spellbinding literary epic brimming with enchantment, mystery, and dark secrets from the highly acclaimed author of the #1 international bestseller The Binding.If your life was based on a lie, would you risk it all to tell the truth?At Montverre, an ancient and elite academy hidden high in the mountains, society’s best and brightest are trained for excellence in the grand jeu—the great game—an arcane and mysterious competition that combines music, art, math, poetry, and philosophy. Léo Martin once excelled at Montverre but lost his passion for scholarly pursuits after a violent tragedy. He turned to politics instead and became a rising star in the ruling party, until a small act of conscience cost him his career. Now he has been exiled back to Montverre, his fate uncertain.But this rarified world of learning Léo once loved is not the same place he remembers. Once the exclusive bastion of men, Montverre’s most prestigious post is now held by a woman: Claire Dryden, also known as the Magister Ludi, the head of the great game. At first, Léo feels an odd attraction to the magister—a mysterious, eerily familiar connection—though he’s sure they’ve never met before.As the legendary Midsummer Game approaches—the climax of the academy’s year—long-buried secrets rise to the surface and centuries-old traditions are shockingly overturned.A highly imaginative and intricately crafted literary epic, The Betrayals confirms Bridget Collins as one of the most inventive and exquisite new voices in speculative fiction.