by James Kaplan
First published 1989
Philip Pearl packs his bags and trades Manhattan for the Deep South when he accepts an assistant professorship at Picket State University in Mississippi. The English department proves to be populated by an assortment of eccentric colleagues who defy his expectations of academic life. Pearl navigates faculty meetings, office politics, and the peculiar rhythms of small-town university culture while trying to connect with his diverse student body. The local community presents its own cast of characters, each offering Pearl glimpses into a world far removed from his New York origins. As he settles into his new role, Pearl discovers that his greatest challenge may not be mastering Southern academic politics or winning over skeptical students, but opening himself to an unexpected romantic connection that threatens to uproot his carefully planned academic trajectory.
Genres: romance, american-fiction, contemporary, academic
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Deep South, Manhattan, Mississippi, New York, Picket State University
Period: 21st-century
303 pages · Hardcover · Knopf