All Souls

All Souls is a 2008 novel by American writer Christine Schutt. The book takes place in New York City, and follows the lives of faculty and students at the fictional Siddons School. Writing and composition The novel draws from Schutt's experience as a teacher at an all-girls school in Manhattan. Since the book's publication, Schutt noted "types" from the school, Nightingale-Bamford, she would include if she were to rewrite it. All Souls was in part inspired by David Malouf's novel Remembering Babylon. Despite perception that the novel "[pushes] the boundaries of fiction" Schutt has said she did not intend for it to do so. Plot The novel follows Astra Dell and her classmates at Siddons School over the course of their senior year.