The Red Word

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A smart, dark, and uncompromising exploration of rape culture, this campus novel delves into the extremes of ideology. As her sophomore year begins, Karen immerses herself in the back-to-school festivities, particularly at the notorious fraternity GBC, known as "Gang Bang Central" and infamous for its association with date rapists. After waking up on the lawn of Raghurst, a radical feminist house, she receives a crash course in campus feminist activism. Torn between the party scene at GBC and the intellectual allure of the Raghurst women, Karen is drawn into their world, eventually becoming a housemate and joining an upper-level class taught by a charismatic feminist mythology scholar. As tensions rise between the two factions, Dyann, a leading figure at Raghurst, devises a plan to expose GBC as a symbol of rape culture. However, this escalating conflict comes with significant consequences. The narrative captures the intense binary nature of campus politics and the fervent pursuit of new friendships, romantic entanglements, and transformative ideas. With echoes of works by Jeffrey Eugenides, Alison Lurie, and Tom Wolfe, this debut adult novel offers a compelling and urgent perspective on youth and ideology.