I had a wonderful summer, for which I’m thankful. I managed to balance working on two different book projects, one fiction and one nonfiction, and I also took time to just exist and enjoy my summer break. I baked a lot and then I ate what I baked. Otherwise, why bake? I checked out some new coffee shops in my neighborhood and a bookstore called Writer’s Block in Downton Las Vegas that I’ve been wanting to visit for a while now. I left with a Murakami novel (1Q84–five stars from me) and some Agatha Christie. I read a lot during the summer, which should be of no surprise.
I love to live according to the seasons, which includes reading books and watching television shows and films appropriate for that time of year. I did things a little differently this year since my new novel is a Dark Academia murder mystery–new genres for me and I’m as excited about writing this book as I was when I started writing Her Dear & Loving Husband in 2009. Normally, I’d save these darker genres for autumn or winter, but this year I’ve been reading Dark Academia and murder mysteries no matter the season. Now that the new school year has started here in Southern Nevada, it’s a good time to talk about Dark Academia.
If you’re not familiar with the Dark Academia genre, the stories are about learning on some level, whether that learning happens at a school, a university, or somewhere like a library or a museum. Dark Academia romanticizes academia because it emphasizes the intellectual life and studying subjects like literature, classics, history, and languages.
In Dark Academia there is a darkness lurking beneath the exterior (hence the dark in Dark Academia). Dark Academia stories are Gothic in nature, and they include secret societies and murders as well as covering up those murders. Some Dark Academia novels are paranormal fantasies that include magic, vampires, and other supernatural powers or creatures.
I’ve said before that I must live under a rock. Dark Academia has been around since 2015, but I’ve only discovered it within the past year or so. I kept seeing the term “Dark Academia” popping up and I thought, well, I’m an academic and I like dark, so I decided to check it out. I saw a few lists of recommended Dark Academia novels, I read a few, and I fell in love with the genre.
There are valid criticisms of Dark Academia. Some see the genre as elitist and not multicultural enough. As a former adjunct professor, I can say that the Dark Academia novels I’ve read don’t always reflect what I saw on my university campus. My students came from all over the world, spoke all languages, and the majority of them didn’t come from privileged backgrounds. Many of my students didn’t have the luxury of being full-time students and they worked part or full-time jobs while they attended classes. My enjoyment of Dark Academia isn’t diminished by this knowledge, but it is something to be aware of if you choose to read this genre.
Here are some of my favorite Dark Academia books so far.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
No discussion about Dark Academia is complete without mentioning The Secret History. I read that The Secret History is credited with created the Dark Academia sub-genre. The Secret History was the first Dark Academia book I read, which was great because I loved this book so much but not so great because it set the bar quite high for the DA books I read afterward. I was captured by the narrative from the first page and I couldn’t read it fast enough because I had to know what happened next.
The story follows a group of Ancient Greek students at a New England college, and it isn’t a spoiler to say that they murder one member of the group because it says so on the first page of the novel. On the one hand there’s no mystery because we know who was murdered and who murdered him, but that doesn’t hamper the suspense of seeing how events played out. I’ve seen mixed opinions on this one. Some readers say that none of the characters were likable, but I think that was the point. The study of morality and complicity amongst these mostly privileged characters was fascinating. For me, The Secret History is a five-star book with a story I can’t stop thinking about.
If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio
I read If We Were Villains right after finishing The Secret History, which I don’t recommend because at first I felt as though If We Were Villains was a sort of fan fiction of The Secret History since there is a cover-up of a murder in this book too. I enjoyed the setting of young Shakespearean actors studying at a classical conservatory. Reading about Shakespeare is always a plus for me. I’m glad I stuck with it because as I continued reading I came to enjoy the story as its own entity separate from The Secret History, though I’ll admit I wasn’t entirely sold on the ending. Still, a solid four star book for me.
Babel by R.F. Kuang
Usually a story lives or dies for me on the strength of the characters and I’m still not sure what I think of Robin Swift, the main character of Babel. Robin didn’t seem to have a distinct personality, but rather he took on the opinions of whoever he was with. While I see that Kuang likely did this on purpose to show the negative effects that colonialism has on the people affected by it, I still didn’t connect to the character, or really any of the characters. Even so, I was so engrossed in the world Kuang created that I was willing to forgive whatever I felt was lacking in the characterizations. Most of the story takes place at Oxford, which automatically scores points with me. Robin studies translation and magic at Babel, a fictional college at Oxford. Soon Robin and other students studying at Babel realize that their work is being used to support British imperialism. I thought Kuang did a great job creating the magic system with the silver bars and the match-pairs. There was a lot that I liked about what Kuang did here and this was another four star book for me.
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
Ninth House is set at Yale where Galaxy “Alex” Stern is selected to join the ninth house, known as Lethe, which monitors the magical practices of Yale’s eight secret societies. Alex was recruited to Lethe because she can see ghosts. Her mentor at Lethe is known as Darlington, and as we begin the story Darlington is missing and there’s been a murder of a local young woman. There is so much I love about this book. I love Bardugo’s world building. I believed in Lethe and the eight magical societies. I really believed in Alex. She isn’t from money. She’s not a typical Yale student. Her pre-Yale life includes an immature mother, a missing father, drug abuse, and an abusive boyfriend. Alex Stern is a flesh and blood character, and she felt so real to me I thought she could walk right out of the book.
On a personal note, I’m from the San Fernando Valley in Southern California and it was fun to see references to Van Nuys, Reseda, and all of the places where I grew up. Beyond that, the story is so engrossing that I read the book in two days. As soon as I finished Ninth House I jumped right into the sequel Hell Bent. I had to know what happened to Darlington, right? Hell Bent is wonderful as well, and if you loved Ninth House then you must keep going. I read that there’s going to be another Alex Stern book and I’m there for it. Definitely five stars for me.
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
I don’t even know how to explain how much I adore this book. I love each and every one of those 280,000 words. I had such a hard time leaving this world that after I finished reading the book I watched the TV adaptation three times in a row because I love that too. I thought the actors did an amazing job bringing the characters to life. Then, because I still couldn’t let go, I listened to the audiobook. The narrative style is Dickensian, which scores major points with me. Clarke writes with Dickens’ wit, as if the narrator sees the humor in the events and shares that humor in wink-wink nudge-nudge asides for the reader. Other readers have likened Clarke’s narration as being similar to Jane Austen, and I can see that, but I was thinking Dickens when I was reading.
The story is an alternate history of England during the Napoleonic Wars, a world where magic is real and accepted but it has died away over the centuries. Mr. Norrell, and then his apprentice Jonathan Strange, work to bring magic back to England. So much happens in this book that it’s impossible for me to summarize here. Some might balk at putting this book in the Dark Academia category, but I think it fits. Even though the story doesn’t take place at a university, it does center on books and learning–in this case learning magic. Also, Mr. Norrell’s library was pretty awesome. Footnotes in fiction are hit or miss for me, but here they were a bull’s eye hit. They added a layer of realism (and more humor) to the story. The academic-like footnotes, citations included, are another reason I think Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell qualifies as Dark Academia. While the tone is largely comic, there is a lot of darkness here. This is one of those books I’ll reread over and over again. Five+ stars for me. And if you loved Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell…
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
After I finally pulled myself away from the world of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, I picked up a copy of Piranesi at my local Barnes and Noble. Piranesi is a little book–200 pages compared to the 900 pages (including footnotes) of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell–yet this little book packs a huge emotional punch. Piranesi lives in a structure that is an endless labyrinth, complete with an ocean. He spends his days exploring the House, as he calls the structure, and the world inside the House is the only life he can recall. He lives alone except for a man he calls The Other, who visits Piranesi twice a week. The Other requires Piranesi’s help in studying a great, secret knowledge, and events unfold in a way that leaves Piranesi second-guessing everything he thinks he knows. That’s it. That’s all I can say without spoilers. Other readers have called this book weird, but weird is not the word I would use. Once you accept the fantasy of this world then it ceases being weird. The magical element just is.
Piranesi is a heart-rending book and it touched me deeply. There’s a line toward the end said by Piranesi where, after I read it, I had to put the book down and walk across the room. I had to put physical distance between myself and the book because it caught me right where I live. I can’t remember the last time I was so touched by something I read. There is a psychological truth to the ending of Piranesi’s story, and I think that’s why the emotional punch is so strong. On the surface Piranesi might not seem like Dark Academia, but it is a story about university professors and a secret society with secret knowledge, so I’m putting it here. Susanna Clarke is such a talent. For someone to write Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, a modern masterpiece, and then come out with this gem is nothing short of miraculous. Five++ stars for Piranesi.
I’ve read some wonderful books I might not have known about if I hadn’t become interested in Dark Academia. If you’re looking for an interesting new genre and you like Gothic literature and mystery, then by all means give Dark Academia a try.
Next time I’ll share some of my favorite mystery novels. Of course, Agatha Christie will be at the top of the list. I’m reading Death on the Nile for the first time as I write this.
