Ghosts of Harvard by Francesca Serritella

 

Reviewed by Kristin

Cady Archer arrives at Harvard with mild trepidation, but optimistic that the prestigious university is where she is supposed to be. Her mother definitely disagrees, having lost Cady’s older brother Eric to suicide on the revered campus just a year earlier. Eric had a history of mental illness threaded through his brilliance, and something just pushed him over the edge, perhaps literally as well as figuratively.

As Cady deals with the pressure of being a freshman at such a challenging university, she struggles with the idea that she could have done something to help Eric. Surely there were clues pointing to his desperation, or other indications that his family should have noticed. As she begins to cross paths with his classmates, his competitors for the Bauer award, and his professors, Cady begins to question whether something much more sinister than stress or schizophrenia drove her brother to take his own life.

Cue the “ghosts of Harvard” as Cady begins to hear voices in her head. Decades or centuries have passed since Whit, Robert, and Bilhah walked the paths now occupied by Cady and her fellow students. But Cady can hear them as clearly as if they were beside her in the present day. They become as real to her as the living, breathing humans around her, but are they really speaking to her from the past or is Cady slipping into mental illness just like Eric?

This highly anticipated debut novel from Francesca Serritella did meet my expectations. I have read Serritella’s non-fiction compilations with her mother Lisa Scottoline and found them funny, insightful, and a bit poignant as they cover topics of family, growing up Italian, men, friendship, and animals, among many, many other things. This work of fiction definitely did feel like a first as the author found her narrative voice, but she accomplished this well. As a graduate of Harvard, she obviously knows her setting well and utilizes her experiences there to paint the background vividly.

I will admit that this took me some time to read, but I blame that more on the COVID-19 pandemic and my own scattered-ness in 2020, rather than on any faults with the writing. I look forward to more from this promising young author in the future.

Have a Nice Guilt Trip by Lisa Scottoline and Francesca Serritella

Reviewed by Kristin

I have been on a Lisa Scottoline kick lately.  In the past two months I have read seven of her books—both novels and humorous non-fiction.  I’ve worked my way through Rosato & DiNunzio, a suspense filled series about an all-female law firm in Philadelphia.  The characters within, from “Tony down the block” to power-hungry rival lawyer Nick Machiavelli, all feel so real.  Lisa and her daughter Francesca also write weekly “Chick Wit” columns for The Philadelphia Inquirer, which are then published as collections and end up shelved in our non-fiction humor (818) section.  This loud and raucous Italian-American family operates with what looks like true affection for one another.  Of course the true character is the matriarch of the clan—Mother Mary.

Mother Mary was a tiny little woman with a big attitude.  A mere 4’11” in height, she lived to age 90 until her passing in 2014, which just happened to be shortly after Have a Nice Guilt Trip was published.  If there’s one thing mothers know, it’s guilt, right?  I think it’s because most mothers would do almost anything in the world for their children.  With that utter willingness to sacrifice, mothers hold a special place in the very existence of their children.  Family dynamics, especially between mothers and daughters, can be tricky, but they are usually born of love.

Mother Mary was quite the contrarian but loved the spotlight (as long as it was on her terms.)  She would insist that she didn’t need the book club party to sing Happy Birthday to her, but would surely enjoy it when the crowd broke out in song.  Mother Mary was also known to wear a long white lab coat, and whether that was because of the extra pockets or the camouflage needed when she just didn’t feel like putting on a bra, well, that’s anyone’s guess.

Lisa writes of relationships as she is sandwiched between feisty mother Mary and daughter Francesca.  Now that Francesca has flown the coop, (I mean, moved out on her own,) Lisa is managing by filling the house with animals.  With four dogs, two cats, chickens, a pony or two…Lisa is a fierce animal lover and defender.  Family can have fur, right?

Francesca brings a fresh perspective to the “Chick Wit” columns and the books in which they are contained.  Best friends, ex-boyfriends, and city living experiences all make an appearance in this young author’s writing.  While I’ve never moved to New York City, had a rock band boyfriend, or made new friends while walking a dog, Francesca is enjoyable and amazingly relatable.  Plus, while Mother Mary may have given daughter Lisa a hard time occasionally, she always had a soft spot for granddaughter Francesca.

Join Lisa, Francesca, Mother Mary, Brother Frank, and all of the furry Scottolines (by the way, the name rhymes with “fettucine”) through this delightful series of books written by this mother-daughter duo.  Additional titles include:  Why My Third Husband Will Be a Dog; My Nest Isn’t Empty, It Just Has More Closet Space; Best Friends, Occasional Enemies; Happy and Merry; Meet Me at Emotional Baggage Claim; Does This Beach Make Me Look Fat?; I’ve Got Sand in All the Wrong Places; I Need a Lifeguard Everywhere But the Pool; and I see Life Through Rosé-Colored Glasses.