An NPR, Washington Post, Time, People, Vulture, Guardian, Vox, Kirkus Reviews, Newsweek, LitHub, and New York Public Library Best Book of the Year * âDelightfulâŚcathartic, devious, and terrifically entertaining.â âThe New York Times * âTimely, whip-smart, and darkly funny.â âPeople (Book of the Week) * One of Shondalandâs 13 Best College-Set Novels of All Time
A provocative, razor-sharp, and timely debut novel about a beloved English professor facing a slew of accusations against her professor husband by former studentsâa situation that becomes more complicated when she herself develops an obsession of her own...
âWhen I was a child, I loved old men, and I could tell that they also loved me.â And so we are introduced to our narrator whoâs âa work of art in herselfâ (The Washington Post): a popular English professor whose charismatic husband at the same small liberal arts college is under investigation for his inappropriate relationships with his former students. The couple have long had a mutual understanding when it comes to their extra-marital pursuits, but with these new allegations, life has become far less comfortable for them both. And when our narrator becomes increasingly infatuated with Vladimirâa celebrated, married young novelist whoâs just arrived on campusâtheir tinder box world comes dangerously close to exploding.
âTimely, whip-smart, and darkly funnyâ (People), Vladimir takes us into charged territory, where the boundaries of morality bump up against the impulses of the human heart. This edgy, uncommonly assured debut perfectly captures the personal and political minefield of our current moment, exposing the nuances and the grey area between power and desire.