Notes on a Scandal [What Was She Thinking?] by Zöe Heller


What was the new pottery teacher at St. George’s school, Sheba Hart, thinking? Or, for that matter, was she thinking at all? A woman of privilege and its accoutrements, with an older husband, ill-tempered teenaged daughter, and son with special needs, she seems to have an already full life. Why then, does she respond to her student, 15 year-old Connolly’s advances? What’s more, why is she not thinking of the inevitable consequences?

Heller handily provides the reader with a guide/voyeur in the narrative voice of Barbara Covett, a stereotypical old schoolmarm who lives depressingly alone, with the exception of her cat. The story begins with her martyr-like telling of how she is dealing with the detritus of Sheba’s downfall. At first appearance, the saintly, self-deluding, and prim Covett is merely reporting, much as one would expect of an old maid’s diary, reflecting other people’s comings and goings.

A complex central character, Barbara entwines herself into Sheba’s life. We wonder about this odd couple relationship. The friendship’s balance of power is a choreography of neediness and treachery. What does Sheba see in this prissy, older woman who is flattered to be included in her hectic life? Why isn’t Barbara aghast when Sheba confides her immoral relationship with the student?

Oftentimes, things are not what they appear. The author takes a lonely, needy, older woman in whom we see a compassionate friend and through her telling of Sheba’s affair, becomes the catalyst for her disrepute and ultimate schism within her family. Whom do we dislike more, Sheba, for her selfish perversion, or Barbara, for being the spider who cunningly lures her victim? Oh, what tangled webs they’ve woven as both practiced deceit. Ostensibly, Barbara’s ‘notes’ are nothing more than the facts of what has occurred. The British press’ Alison Roberts of the Evening Standard concludes that what emerges, is “…an intriguing personal crisis [seen] through the eyes of a rather sinister old lady---and leaves us chilled, not thrilled.”

Heller’s novel, written as a British social satire is a study of co-dependence, delusion, envy, and evil. Debby Waldman, writing for People magazine states, “[A] clever novel of social commentary and dangerous obsession…Heller offers a piercing look at a basic human failing; it’s easier to criticize others than to look honestly at ourselves.”

A screenplay of the same title featured Dame Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett. If you have not yet read the book, do so before renting the movie. In some cases, you may be disappointed by one or the other. In this instance, you may be pleasantly surprised.

Zöe Heller was born in London in 1965 and was educated at both Oxford University and Columbia University in New York. Her career began as a book reviewer for a number of newspapers and she eventually became a feature writer for The Independent. After a four-year stint writing columns for the Sunday Times, she currently writes for the Daily Telegraph. In 2002, Heller earned the title of ‘Columnist of the Year’.

The author’s first novel, Everything you Know (2000), is a dark comedy. Notes on a Scandal was short-listed for the 2003 Man Booker Prize for fiction. Based upon what we’ve read so far, we hope she will be a prolific writer, entertaining us for decades to come.


Sharon Beverly