Back-to-school reading: 5 campus novels to get you in the mood for uni life
In true Leeds fashion, the weather has taken a turn for the wintery just in time for term to
begin. It’s the perfect weather to curl up with a book and get back into reading for the back-
to-school season. We’ve come up with five of our favourite campus novels to help you
romanticise student life, whether they’re keeping you company on the bus ride to uni or are
simply a justification for staying in bed all day after a heavy night out…
The Secret History, Donna Tartt
Widely renowned as the pinnacle of the dark academia genre, Donna Tartt’s The Secret History has earned it’s crown for good reason. A decidedly dramatic depiction of university life, it is filled with secrecy, sex, and, of course, murder. Hopefully, your Leeds uni experience will resemble little of what you will encounter in Tartt’s twisted vision. Nevertheless, The Secret History is a campus novel that deserves to be on this list. Gripping from start to finish, this is a book that will have you wishing for traffic on the uni commute for the chance to read a few more pages.
Starter for Ten, David Nicholls
For those after a lighter read, let me introduce David Nicholls’ debut novel and its loveable protagonist, Brian Jackson. The year is 1985, the scene is Bristol University, and the dream is to compete in University Challenge. Starter for Ten is not a novel for the literary history books, but it is charming, funny, and relatable. Comforting in its predictability, this is the perfect read to calm those pre-university jitters.
Normal People, Sally Rooney
You’ll have done well to have missed the hype surrounding Sally Rooney’s 2018 novel and the subsequent miniseries that graced our screens a couple of years later. But, whether it’s your first time or a revisit, now is the perfect moment to delve into the relationship of Marianne Sheridan and Connell Waldron. Following the pair as they navigate the shift from school to university life, Normal People is a heart-warming and heart-breaking examination of being torn between two places and two identities, home and away.
The Idiot, Elif Bateman
The Idiot is a truly gorgeous book. Set at 1990s Harvard University, Bateman’s semi-
autobiographical novel tells the story of protagonist Selin’s stumbling introduction to adulthood. Selin is a Turkish-American linguistics major, and the musings about language that drive the novel are unique in their simultaneous relatability and originality. Beautifully written with wit and warm, The Idiot is an absolute must read for university freshers and veterans alike.
Stoner, John Williams
This one’s for those who enjoy a quiet novel because, to tell the truth, not a lot happens in John Williams’ Stoner. It observes protagonist William Stoner as he graduates from nineteen-year-old student to tenured teacher at the University of Missouri, and neither milestone or tragedy is awarded frills or fanfare. Reading this novel feels like a meditation; the slow-and-steady-ness of plot is a calming sensation. So, if you’re finding the hecticness of freshers (understandably!) overwhelming, I prescribe finding a quiet corner and reading Stoner as the perfect escape.
Header image credit: The Guardian
Book cover image credit: Amazon