As autumn draws in and the new term begins, pick up a campus novel for some nostalgic after-school reading…
Fittingly described as ‘The OC meets The Secret History with flashes of Clueless’ (Observer) and ‘Sweet Valley High as written by George Eliot’ (Independent), Curtis Sittenfeld’s acclaimed debut is a sharp takedown of the elite American boarding school. We follow fourteen-year-old Lee Fiora through her high school years at an exclusive prep school and cower, cringe and along as she navigates social hierarchy, class prejudice, racism, fraught friendships and first love. It’s immersive, frustrating and claustrophobic in all the right ways and will make you simultaneously want to relive your teenage years and immediately forget them.
The Things We Do To Our Friends by Heather Darwent
For fans of Promising Young Woman (or VERVE’s very own Stargazer), Heather Darwent’s revenge thriller takes place at Edinburgh University. Part dark academia, part feminist fable, The Things We Do To Our Friends mixes generational wealth with blurry student life and toxic friendships to create a disturbing crime novel with a feminist twist. It’s definitely not for the faint of heart and will leave you cheering on the characters and rooting for their demise in equal measure. Fabulously dark and twisted!
I immediately pre-ordered Come and Get It last year after tearing through Kiley Reid’s debut, Such A Fun Age. The new release did not disappoint and offers a playful but thought-provoking slice of sapphic campus drama, set in 2017 at the University of Arkansas. Millie is a senior resident working her way through college and saving for a house deposit. When she agrees to allow Agatha, a visiting professor, to listen into dorm residents’ conversations as part of her research into student attitudes to money, Millie’s life quickly becomes complicated by unexpected feelings and blurred boundaries. A tense portrait of economic privilege, racism and social politics with a cast of brilliant, terrible, hilarious characters at its centre.
The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue
Not technically a campus novel but still inseparable from its literary-focused setting, The Rachel Incident is a wildly funny tale of friends and lovers in 2010s Cork. Rachel, a student working at a bookstore, is intent on seducing her married professor, Fred, and drafts in her best friend James to help in her mission. Nothing goes to plan and the year that follows is full of secrets, betrayals, compromises and missed connections – leading to hilarity and heartbreak for all involved. One to read if you like wistful unrequited love with a side of topical Irish politics.
One of the most underrated modern classics of all time – and certainly the most underrated campus novel! – Stoner by John Williams is a true gem. First published in 1965, it charts the life of William Stoner, an ordinary man who lived an ordinary life. Born into a farming family in rural Missouri, a university lecture sparks Stoner’s passion for learning and literature and changes the course of his life forever, leading him to become a teacher. Though his quiet, earnest life is fraught with disappointment and mediocrity, Stoner emerges as the unlikely hero of his own story. It’s emotional, wise and melancholy – perfect autumn reading with a cup of tea.