The Idiot

In her debut novel, The Idiot, Elif Batuman intricately weaves a tale of self-discovery through the eyes of Selin, a Turkish immigrant navigating her freshman year at Harvard in 1995. As she explores new classes and embarks on a series of correspondence with an enigmatic mathematics student, Selin's journey takes her from the halls of academia to the enchanting landscapes of Hungary and Paris. With a blend of humor, emotional depth, and keen insight, Batuman captures the exhilarating and confusing moments of young adulthood, as Selin grapples with the complexities of first love and the aspiration to become a writer.