Ghosts of Harvard

A Novel

By: Francesca Serritella

Narrated by: Karissa Vacker

Length: 16 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

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." (Jodi Picoult, number one New York Times best-selling author)

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?

©2020 Francesca Serritella (P)2020 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Ghosts of Harvard is written with a masterly, focused hand, belying the fact that this is Serritella’s debut novel. The pages burn with frenetic energy and are peopled by memorable, compelling characters. The tension is palatable, the twists and surprises perfectly timed and the stakes as high as humans should be asked to endure. The end result, a novel you will long remember and characters you will want to see again. A triumph in every respect." (David Baldacci, number one New York Times best-selling author)

"Wow, what a lively, compelling, and intoxicating debut. Ghosts of Harvard is so many things - a rumination on grief, a glimpse behind the ivory walls of a famous institution, a poignant look at mental illness, and a powerful story about the ghosts that haunt us all. Francesca Serritella is my new ‘go-to’ author." (Harlan Coben, number one New York Times best-selling author)

"Ghosts of Harvard is a wrenchingly beautiful book. With immense heart and unwavering empathy, Francesca Serritella explores the legacy of loss and the mystery of family. It’s one of those rare novels that spirits you to a deeper understanding of your own life, one of those stories whose voice you’ll continue to hear long after you’ve turned the last page." (Bret Anthony Johnston, internationally best-selling author of Remember Me Like This)

Excellent first novel!

This engaging novel has something for everyone- family secrets, history, ghosts, and love. And a few other things I won’t mention (because I don’t want to spoil it)! This is a fantastic book written by a talented young writer.

Wow! A compelling story right up to the end!!!

I highly recommend this book! Lots of surprises and a very satisfying read. I loved the author's notes at the end too!

Fabulous book

This was one of most enjoyable books I have ever read (actually listened to). Karissa Vacker was simply superb in the reading of the book.

I couldn’t put it down

Didn’t know what to expect. But it is an interestingly woven story of family struggles, loyalty and forgiveness. Combined with mystery and self discovery.

WOW!!

Well now, the apple sure doesn't fall far from the tree in this case, does it? Francesca Serritella definitely got her writing skills from her mom! This was magnificent! I loved this book so much!
The supernatural aspect made this one of the best books i've read or listened to this year!
Bravo, Ms. Serritella!

Narration was wonderful too! Karissa Vacker completed this great package!

Too much of the same old, same old.

Story gets stale. Repeats and repeats. Wanted to like it but the characters (especially mom and dad) were flat and unlikable.

Must read book

Been waiting quite a while for Francesca’s first novel. Fabulous. Smart, suspenseful, and mystical. Worth waiting for. Can’t wait till her next book! The narrator was also fantastic. Now a fan of hers, too.

Enjoy

Really enjoyed this performance.
Karissa vacker totally grasped the characters. Clever storyline and appreciated Harvard background.

When the voices come calling, do you answer?

Cady is about to embark on one of the greatest adventures in life; her freshman year in college. Even more exciting, a freshman at one of the most prestigious elite colleges. Harvard. Cady unfortunately already has a lot going on in her life. Her brother, recently diagnosed as schizophrenic, committed suicide just the year before while also attending Harvard, her parents are fighting, and she left against her mothers wishes. To add to the already piling plate of issues she has, shortly after classes resume, she starts hearing voices. Not just any voices, voices of what she believes are ghosts. But what exactly do they want from her? She has come to Harvard in hopes that she could not only follow her brothers legacy, but see if she could find out what really happened to her brother to push him to the breaking point. The more she digs around, the more she is convinced that there was more to Eric's behavior than a mental illness. With the majority of her time and energy spent on searching for more information about Eric, she starts falling behind in classes, her roommates start to pry to find out what is really going on with her, she finds her parents marriage to be more on the rocks than she thought, and she is beginning to wonder if she really is hearing ghosts, or if she is schizophrenic as well. Can Cady get to the bottom of everything before she reaches a breaking point herself pushing her over the edge? What really happened to her brother? This was a buddy read and I chose the audio version. I absolutely loved this book! The audio version really made me feel like I was a part of the story. I felt a lot of empathy towards Cady and her situation. This was a really enjoyable read.

Twists and Turns Galore!!!

Wow!!! I haven't read such a twisty- turnish book in a long time! This is such an original and amazing story!

I believe Francesca Serritella has an amazing career ahead as a writer. She is gifted! And I am sure she must have worked very hard to get where she is.