The Devil and Webster

By: Jean Hanff Korelitz

Narrated by: Kate Burton

From the New York Times bestselling author of You Should Have Known and Admission, a twisty new novel about a college president, a baffling student protest, and some of the most hot-button issues on today's college campuses.

Naomi Roth is the first female president of Webster College, a once conservative school now known for producing fired-up, progressive graduates. So Naomi isn't surprised or unduly alarmed when Webster students begin the fall semester with an outdoor encampment around "The Stump"-a traditional campus gathering place for generations of student activists-to protest a popular professor's denial of tenure. A former student radical herself, Naomi admires the protestors' passion, especially when her own daughter, Hannah, joins their ranks.

Then Omar Khayal, a charismatic Palestinian student with a devastating personal history, emerges as the group's leader, and the demonstration begins to consume Naomi's life, destabilizing Webster College from the inside out. As the crisis slips beyond her control, Naomi must take increasingly desperate measures to protect her friends, colleagues, and family from an unknowable adversary.

Touching on some of the most topical and controversial concerns at the heart of our society, this riveting novel examines the fragility that lies behind who we think we are-and what we think we believe.

Critic reviews

"Korelitz's new novel is a smart, semi-satire about the reign of identity politics on college campuses today... The Devil and Webster is wittily on target about, among other things, social class and privilege, silencing and old-school feminist ambivalence about power."—NPR's Fresh Air

"Satisfying...A sharp and insightful novel....with a clever plot twist...This ought to be the start of a golden age for the campus novel."
—The Wall Street Journal

"Korelitz taps into the current unsettled campus and cultural zeitgeist with eerie precision."—Booklist

"The Devil and Webster can be read as a suspense novel seasoned with social commentary or as a plot-driven academic satire. Korelitz excels in both directions."—Shelf Awareness

"A hilarious send-up of the current college climate."—The New York Post,

"Compulsively readable, uncanny, and irreverent...Korelitz - author of Admission, a college-admissions novel that was made into the 2013 film starring Tina Fey and Paul Rudd, and You Should Have Known, about a New York shrink who learns her husband of two decades is a sociopath - is an expert on the art of deception, a talent she puts to excellent use in her latest book.—TheNationalBookReview.com

"There is so much in this novel, a thoughtful and beautiful work.... This is highly recommended reading, but don't forget to put on your thinking cap. You'll need it."—BookReporter

"Ms. Korelitz's book is smart and devious--enough so to bring to mind another work of trickery, one that has "Gone" in its title and does not feature Scarlett O'Hara."—The New York Times (Praise for You Should Have Known)

"Tempt the gods with smug self-righteousness and they will deliver a windfall of tragedy, as witness in Jean Hanff Korelitz's rollickingly good literary thriller...Korelitz writes intimately and engagingly about a social strata few are privy to, but the ugliness is very familiar."—Vanity Fair (Praise for You Should Have Known)

"This consuming, expertly plotted thriller moves along at a slow burn, building up to shocking revelations about Grace's past and ending with a satisfying twist on her former relationship mantra; 'doubt can be a gift.'"—People (Praise for You Should Have Known)

"Korelitz does not disappoint as she chronicles the emotional unraveling of her heroine in this gripping saga...A cut above your average who-is-this-stranger-in-my-marriage-bed novel, YOU SHOULD HAVE KNOWN transforms itself at certain moments from a highly effective thriller into a nuanced novel of family, heritage, identity, and nurture."—The Boston Globe (Praise for You Should Have Known)

Good

nteresting characters and subject matter, but needs tighter editing. The characters often overreact and/or ignore the obvious in order to artificially ratchet up the drama. The motivations and methods of those who “lie big“ are unfortunately not explored, and the behavior of the character embodying this is inconsistent, making him nothing more than a plot device. The writing is very good in parts, and the narrator does the bits of dry humor well.

Excellent look into the academic world

I bought this book by mistake. I was looking for the classic short story, the devil and Daniel Webster. I did listen to it, and enjoyed it.

I still wonder whether this book was intended as an indictment against the thoughts and attitudes of a liberal academic. Or if these really enjoy thinking about themselves this way.

The supposed protagonist more than a little shallow and self serving. Her family and friends are despicable, angry and lack thankfulness for their good fortune.

The few clear headed characters are represented as contemptible. What the book really lacks is a hero. All the characters seem to be at least to some degree villainous.

I guess I enjoyed listening because the book reinforced my biases about the woke culture and decadent nature of institutions.

A stunning novel; a brilliant performance

A most insightful journey into the privileged world of Ivy League academia. This novel has everything. It’s witty; it’s smart; it’s enlightening ; it’s moving and it has the pace of a psychological thriller.
Kate Burton catches every nuance in a tour-de-force performance that brings this great work to palpable life.

Good Higher Education Leadership Case

This book reminds me of an updated version of The University by Rosovsky. it's great to have a modern day example albeit using somewhat fictitious characters. The author did her research and provided us with meaningful law, higher education, and policy cases to consider. This is a very timely book and I appreciate the aubile version.

The Devil and Webster

If you like the academic world and the complexity of scholarly, political, historical, and social dynamics, this is a great read! The narrator is supremely accomplished in her use of inflection as it informs the reader of the lead character's (the Webster College president) varying perspectives. Full of range and nuance. My only criticism of the story is the too-easily-passed-over reality of tenure decision confidentiality which, if fully highlighted by the college president, would have calmed the waters. Yet this flaw in plotting enables the unfolding of a dramatic story of campus life that would otherwise not have been told.