There's a lot of problematic things about this one that I didn't realize when I read it in high school - but now it's all obviously colored with an American lens. But even putting that aside, it's not as good as I remember. I'd forgotten most of the details about the relationship with the Chairman, but it's not a romantic story. The grooming aspects are pretty creepy. The pacing and plot moved pretty slowly too. Still, something about it was intriguing.