First published 2013
Princeton, New Jersey, 1905. Woodrow Wilson presides over the university while Socialist writer Upton Sinclair lives nearby on a farm, basking in the success of The Jungle. Their quiet academic community represents the pinnacle of American intellectual privilege. Then a brutal lynching occurs in a neighboring town. Local authorities cover up the crime, but their silence unleashes something far worse. A supernatural force descends upon Princeton's elite families. Wilson finds his ordered world crumbling as inexplicable horrors plague the community. Sinclair witnesses events that challenge his rational worldview. Children vanish. Respected citizens commit unspeakable acts. The curse spreads through every household, sparing no one. As the Devil's influence grows stronger, Princeton's most prominent residents must confront an evil that feeds on their secrets and sins. The community that once prided itself on enlightenment now faces damnation.
Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, horror, supernatural, academic
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, thought-provoking
Tropes: supernatural-elements, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Princeton, New Jersey
Period: 1905
669 pages · Hardcover · Ecco
Content warnings: violence