Shelf life
Thriller author Ruth Ware describes the five books that drew her into the world of dark academia that she explores in her latest novel, The It Girl
Ruth Ware
Gaudy Night
by Dorothy L Sayers
‘I was very annoyed not to be able to get a college Gaudy into The It Girl, because one of my first introductions to the bell jar atmosphere of Oxbridge life was via this clever whodunnit, centred around just such an event – Gaudy being the Oxford name for a college reunion. Harriet Vane takes centre stage here over her lover, Sayers’ longtime sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey, when she returns, somewhat reluctantly, to her old alma mater. Harriet is expecting to spend a few days catching up with old friends and fending off questions about her own scandalous past. Instead she discovers a very nasty poison pen is at work – and is persuaded to stay on at the college to try to solve the mystery. The alluring spell of Oxford’s dreaming spires is beautifully evoked here, but if you’ve never read Sayers before I probably wouldn’t advise starting with this book. As well as having some particularly annoying examples of classism and academic snobbishness, it’s the culmination of a decade-long love affair between Harriet and Peter, and you really need to go back at least to Strong Poison to understand the context.’