by Elif Batuman
First published 2017
Selin arrives at Harvard as a tall, anxious Turkish-American from New Jersey. She throws herself into linguistics and literature courses while teaching English as a second language, but finds herself completely unprepared for adult life. She befriends Svetlana, a worldly Serbian student, and becomes fixated on Ivan, a Hungarian mathematician. Selin and Ivan develop an awkward, confusing relationship that leads her to spend a summer teaching English in a remote Hungarian village. There she endures a series of unexpected adventures while trying to understand Ivan and herself. Throughout her freshman year and Hungarian summer, Selin wrestles with questions about language, culture, and identity. She struggles with her failed attempts at writing and the bewildering nature of romantic attraction. Batuman creates a protagonist who is both intelligent and completely naive, showing how chaotic and uncomfortable it can be to figure out who you want to become.
Genres: literary-fiction, coming-of-age, contemporary, academic
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, friends-to-lovers
Setting: Harvard, Hungary, New Jersey
Period: 21st-century
425 pages · Hardcover · JONATHAN CAPE