Some lessons change more than the way you speak.
In the coastal town of George, South Africa, Bianca meets Ramón - a magnetic language teacher whose fascination with words runs far deeper than grammar. When he invites her to join his school, Instituto Guerrera, in Málaga, Spain, it feels like a chance to start over.
But the prestigious institute isn't what it seems. Beneath its polished surface lies a quiet network of control, silence, and obsession - a place where language shapes more than thought, and meaning can be turned against you. As Bianca's sense of self begins to erode, she must decide whether she's mastering a new language... or being rewritten by it.
Subjunctive Mood is the first novel in the False Friends Series - a psychological thriller about power, desire, and the dangerous ways communication can deceive. Inspired by real people and a real school, it blurs the boundary between truth and fiction, reminding us that words can both reveal and destroy.
Reviews
Subjunctive Mood doesn’t hand the reader clear answers. Instead, it leaves a lot open to interpretation, with situations and motives that can be read in several different ways. I liked that it trusts the reader to think and draw their own conclusions rather than explaining everything. The ambiguity feels intentional and fits the story’s tone, creating a sense that there are multiple possible truths at the same time. It’s an intellectual, slightly unsettling read that stays with you after finishi