The classroom has long been the site of many compelling works of literature. It is here that the nuances of power and influence are distilled; here that the kinetic energy of two minds meeting is laid bare. Needless to say, the student-teacher dynamic is one that can easily tip into the transgressive, with the impressionable student casting their teacher in the role of the worldly authority figure, and the insecure teacher seizing upon this exalted vision to shore up their self-image.
Such was the circumstance I set out to explore in my debut novel, The World After Alice. The book takes place in the wake of Alice’s death by suicide as those around her struggle to piece together the missing details of her young life. One such detail involves Alice’s murky relationship with her philosophy teacher, Ezra Newman. Both Alice and Ezra believe that they alone can see the other clearly—until it becomes evident that what each took for sight was mere projection. As I worked on this book, I thought back to some touchstones of fiction that blur the line between mentorship and manipulation in fascinating yet toxic ways.
Without further ado, here are some favorite examples:
Amy and Isabelle by Elizabeth Strout
In Strout’s luminous first novel, readers are introduced to the compelling characters of Amy and Isabelle, a mother and daughter living in the stultifying small town of Shirley Falls. In this claustrophobic place, Amy begins a clandestine affair with her math teacher, Mr. Robertson. His knowledge quickly illuminates to the teenage Amy all the areas where her mother’s own intelligence is lacking. An excruciating moment occurs when Amy corrects Isabelle’s pronunciation of Yeats. “Here was something new to fear,” Isabelle thinks, “her daughter’s pity for her ignorance.” It is a delight to watch Strout train her incisive eye on this duo.
Hope by Andrew Ridker
Ridker’s rollicking sophomore novel introduces readers to the Greenspans of Brookline, Massachusetts. The family comprises Scott and Deb, the parents, and Gideon and Maya, the kids. It is Maya’s story that is applicable here, as she falls in love with her high school English teacher, William. The relationship doesn’t start and end when Maya is in high school, though. Instead, Ridker smartly takes us into the future, showing how Maya’s feelings toward William change as she matures. If you’re looking for a smart and hilarious novel set during the peak of the Obama era, this one is for you.
History of Wolves by Emily Fridlund
In this smashing debut, Fridlund transports readers to the cold heart of northern Minnesota, where the adolescent Linda finds herself playing babysitter to the child of the new family across the lake. Linda’s observation of this family coincides with the introduction of a second newcomer: the history teacher, Mr. Grierson. When Mr. Grierson is accused of assaulting one of Linda’s classmates, her fascination with him deepens. Did he do what the girl claimed? Fridlund masterfully ties these plot points together, deftly evoking questions of identity and culpability.
Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee
Winner of the 1999 Booker Prize, Disgrace follows the fall of professor David Lurie after he forces himself on his student, Melanie. What ensues is a story of violence, shame, and reckoning. In an evocative yet unadorned style, Coetzee takes readers into the bleak heart of post-Apartheid South Africa. A brilliant and unsettling book about the consequences of power and the existential struggle to connect.
My Last Innocent Year by Daisy Alpert Florin
Florin’s debut follows Isabel, a college student at a liberal arts school in the Northeast. The book kicks off with Isabel’s sexual assault at the hands of a classmate. This event forms the backdrop for Isabel’s subsequent affair with her married professor, Connelly. Florin’s novel is equal parts coming-of-age story and retrospective, with Isabel looking back on her younger self and the choices she made.
The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
Franzen’s multi-POV masterpiece features the Lamberts, a dysfunctional Midwestern family set to gather for Christmas. In classic Franzen style, the book is both laugh-out-loud funny and acutely painful, as the Lamberts individually deal with problems of love, aging, and personal shame. Franzen manages to cover so much terrain with this one that readers might forget about Chip’s relationship with his student, Melissa, by the time they reach the pitch-perfect end.
Lessons by Ian McEwan
McEwan’s ambitious latest flips around the conventional male teacher and female student dynamic. Though the novel covers many themes, spanning the protagonist Roland’s life from childhood to old age, at its heart is the grooming of Roland by his piano teacher, Miriam Cornell. McEwan juxtaposes sweeping world events against the smaller yet no less seismic events of Roland’s life to create a book that is poignant and profound.
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