College Chronicles: 10 Campus Novels to Read This Fall 

Set in the late 90s at Harvard, this is a new kind of coming-of-age narrative that reminds readers that to be American is to be from elsewhere. This is a brilliant, hilarious and moving novel that will resonate for some time.

This funny, incisive, and poignant debut novel about the relationships formed during that turbulent, transitory time in one’s early twenties — and how they continue to echo throughout our lives — is perfect for fans of Sally Rooney and Naoise Dolan.

A classic in the dark academia genre, The Secret History follows a group of disillusioned college students who believe that anything is justifiable, even the most horrific acts.

A sharp and rollicking read about the power of art and the lasting legacy of those who make it, from the bestselling author of our previous Discover pick, Olga Dies Dreaming.

Through the fictional clique of the Bunnies, Awad offers a candid and barbed portrait of the nuances of femininity and societal expectations forced onto women. With dynamic characters and an ever-twisting plot, this is a masterpiece just waiting to be devoured.

Dark and disarming, The Incendiaries by R.O. Kwon tells the story of two students at Edwards University, both wrapped up in each other and their respective traumas. While Phoebe falls deeper and deeper into a dangerous cult on campus, Will struggles to break free from the religious confines that raised him.

What do we do with the brand-new ideas we get from reading books and experiencing the first bits of independence? The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Middlesex answers these questions in The Marriage Plot, a campus novel that follows a love triangle in the 1980s centered on one woman and the two men caught in her orbit. 

Rather than focusing on the very start of a life of newfound freedom and self-exploration, Weike Wang questions what the end of those years looks and feels like. This is a story of a woman’s descent into disillusionment following a marriage proposal and the overwhelming demands of completing her PhD.  

Brandon Taylor’s debut earned him a spot as a Booker Prize finalist, and for good reason. A Black, queer man from Alabama, our protagonist Wallace grapples with race, sexuality and fighting against overwhelming otherness at a Midwestern university in this profound and powerful novel.

Normal People is a poignant and deeply moving story about identity, friendship, and young love. Rooney perfectly captures the loneliness of growing up and the desire to feel understood by peers. Every reader will see a bit of themselves in the vulnerable and fragile natures of Connell and Marianne.