Ghosts of Harvard by Francesca Serritella
Meet Author Francesca Serritella:
"Francesca Serritella is a New York Times bestselling author and columnist for The Philadelphia Inquirer. She graduated cum laude from Harvard University, where she won the Thomas Temple Hoopes Prize, the Le Baron Russell Briggs Fiction Prize, and the Charles Edmund Horman Prize for her creative writing. She lives in New York City with one dog and one cat, so far." ~Amazon
TEEN VOGUE BOOK CLUB PICK • A Harvard freshman becomes obsessed with her schizophrenic brother’s suicide. Then she starts hearing voices.
“A rich, intricately plotted thriller . . . Serritella, who is a Harvard grad herself, writes about the campus with an insider’s savvy.”—Maureen Corrigan, The Washington Post
“Every time I thought I knew where Ghosts of Harvard was heading, I turned out to be wrong. Part mystery, part ghost story, part psychological thriller, this novel is all entertainment.”—#1 New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult
Cadence Archer arrives on Harvard’s campus desperate to understand why her brother, Eric, a genius who developed paranoid schizophrenia took his own life there the year before. Losing Eric has left a black hole in Cady’s life, and while her decision to follow in her brother’s footsteps threatens to break her family apart, she is haunted by questions of what she might have missed. And there’s only one place to find answers.
As Cady struggles under the enormous pressure at Harvard, she investigates her brother’s final year, armed only with a blue notebook of Eric’s cryptic scribblings. She knew he had been struggling with paranoia, delusions, and illusory enemies—but what tipped him over the edge? Voices fill her head, seemingly belonging to three ghosts who passed through the university in life, or death, and whose voices, dreams, and terrors still echo the halls. Among them is a person whose name has been buried for centuries, and another whose name mankind will never forget.
Does she share Eric’s illness, or is she tapping into something else? Cady doesn’t know how or why these ghosts are contacting her, but as she is drawn deeper into their worlds, she believes they’re moving her closer to the truth about Eric, even as keeping them secret isolates her further. Will listening to these voices lead her to the one voice she craves—her brother’s—or will she follow them down a path to her own destruction? ~Amazon
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Numeric Breakdown:
1: didn't like it/skip it
2: it was okay/it wasn't for me
3. liked it/worth a read
4. really liked it/loved it
5. it was amazing/must read!
Psychological twists to get your heart pounding and your mind thinking.
When I first saw Ghosts of Harvard by Francesca Serritella, my immediate thought was "I wonder if Rory Gilmore would read this book?" Therefore, I had to give it a go. This is the author's first solo work, having previously wrote with her mother and author Lisa Scottoline. I can't say that I've read any of those books or any of her mother's independent novels, but I know there are a few that have made their way onto my to-read list.
Within our narrative, we're introduced to Cady Archer and the loss which has dominated her life. A few years before, her brother Eric committed suicide after struggling with a schizophrenic diagnosis. His loss propels her to follow in his footsteps, to apply and get into Harvard, and to find out why he had lost all hope. She can't reveal the real reasons for her entrance into Harvard to her parents, and the fact that she even wants to attend there causes a strain on her relationship with her mother and a proud sadness for her father.
Once she arrives, Cady begins to search for the people and places her brother knew while on campus. Armed with his personal notebook, she tries to work out his thoughts and codes. The history of the college develops as she begins to hear voices of ghosts - people who were real and had lived but were now dead. This psychological twist leads her to believe she's turning into her brother and suffering from the same delusions he must have had. Her fear for her mental well-being is overshadowed by her continued desire to find her brother amidst the walls of the last place he'd lived before death.
Through the story, Cady is introduced to three different ghosts, learns of a secret plot her brother had uncovered, and gets involved in a relationship with a boy her brother knew. Interspersed within this narrative are the remembrances of her childhood with Eric and different experiences they shared. Beyond all of this are the sporadic check-ins of her roommates and the occasional conversation with her parents. Cady struggles to keep up with her day to day routine and seems to lose time on her excursions and inner dialogue with the ghosts.
The plot is distinctive, the main character is intricate, and the details are realistic. It's a captivating read, and for me, I had to know the answers to Cady's questions, and I wanted to understand her journey. I felt for her and her loss, and this connection kept me reading. However, despite the unique storyline and steady pacing, there were a few things which created a slight divide between my interest and the story.
Below might reveal a few *SPOILERS* to the book. Here's a warning for those of you who don't wish to continue reading.
First, the psychological implications and remarkable realism of the ghosts in the story were lost within the entire context of the plot. We're introduced to them, hear their stories, and then they're gone. It's explained away in a practical manner and leaves no real lasting effects on Cady. She's lost her ability to hear and speak to them, and although she's sad about this - especially in the case of Whit because he became someone she cared deeply for within the short exchanges they shared, she accepts their loss and her sudden jolt back to "reality" rather well.
To be honest, I'm unsure of their exact purpose in the overall scheme of the account since there didn't seem to be any real motive for their appearances except to divulge some Harvard history. Moreover, it feels as if it's only added to present the possibility of Cady having a mental illness but doesn't reveal the meaning of why she'd hear these things and then have it disappear like, oops, she's okay now. Diverting and informative, yes, but on the whole, it could have been so much more - for me anyway.
My second grievance is in the manner Cady treats her roommates. There's an awkward balance between all three of them from the beginning. Both Andrea and Ranjoo are in part fair-weather-friends and slight acquaintances. Yet, when they notice she's acting strangely, losing sleep, and skipping classes, they do try to intervene. However, it feels a little cringeworthy and half-hearted.
The way she allowed her interactions with them to dwindle as time goes on is understandable on one hand and unbelievable on another. If she was hoping to show she wasn't losing her mind or following her brother's path, I would think establishing friendships and reaching out to classmates might have been helpful. On the other hand, I could see her fear of having the same mental illness might result in withdrawing from others. Still, I suppose it depended on which viewpoint the reader was developing as they read in how they interpreted this half-hearted attempt at connection.
A third personal conflict for me was the budding romance with Niko. It felt a bit rushed and staged. I was skeptical of Niko and his attentions from the beginning, and I couldn't understand how Cady relied more on him for information concerning her brother instead of Matt - her brother's best friend and roommate. She did go and see Matt at one point, but it felt as if too much weight was set on Niko's relationship because he was "cute." It kind of irritated me, and although I could understand it at the same time, I wanted Cady to gain some clarity. The conflict and "resolution" from this alliance was a bit hard to swallow as well.
Plus, the revelation of Eric having found out a secretive mystery of world-changing proportions within the story is sprung on us halfway or more through. Although it's exciting to watch Cady figure out his code and follow it, I'd hoped it might explain more of his erratic behavior, but it veered into another field altogether. There comes an avalanche of innuendo, red-herrings, and distorted schemes which feel a bit out of nowhere. I felt this was a subplot that could have been expanded and enhanced a bit further in certain areas. It was fascinating and added another element to the novel which I did appreciate.
Overall, this is a worthy read. It has some fun bits, intriguing history, a variety of subplots, and an engaging mc. I did grow to like Cady, but I appreciated her journey for what it was. It was nice to see her making healthier choices and putting her mental health first toward the end of the book. Although there were some holes, it was an enticing plot and kept my attention. It definitely was a detailed, well-researched, and thought-provoking read. Despite my personal annoyances with pieces of the whole story, I still rate it a 3/5 "worthy read" and encourage you to check it out for yourself.
Thank you for joining me, and as always, Happy Reading!! :)
~Rebecca Reddell, Author
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