An Academy For Liars by Alexis Henderson (book review).
Lennon Carter is failing at life. Again. Her former professor, who is now her fiancé, is cheating on her with the only friend she has in the state. Maybe she’s the only friend. Struggling with her mental health for so long has left her isolated and lost. She drives away from the mess of her life, with no idea where she’s going and nothing but the clothes on her back. Lennon is not looking for a sign because she no longer has much hope.
Then a payphone rings. And rings. Until she answers it. Drayton College wishes to inform her that she has been accepted into the interview phase of the admissions process. Lennon did not apply to any colleges; she has never heard of this one, but she has nothing else to do.
Tucked away in a hidden pocket of Savannah, Drayton College teaches a select few the power to persuade anyone of anything. As Lennon hones her innate talent and falls deeper and deeper under the charismatic spell of her advisor and the power all around her, she begins to sense the darker purpose underneath Drayton.
‘An Academy for Liars’ is a book drenched in the creepy ambiance of dark academia. The Drayton College campus is distinct from the rest of the world. There is no Hogsmeade just down the road, no magic world hiding in plain sight. Drayton is a powerful force that may influence an election or blackmail a donor, but you must join or not. You can leave anytime you like, but your memories will stay behind.
This is a course designed for the disillusioned Harry Potter fan who never received a letter from Hogwarts and now realizes their author is a human being with opinions that differ from their own. Persuasion at Drayton is a magic of coercion and control, where you learn to convince anyone of anything, never mind the physical side effects, for the good of the school. Most students consider it a worthwhile sacrifice, given their own struggles in life. Perhaps it’s their innate power that led them to tend towards antisocial behaviours.
Regrettably, I found Lennon Carter to be unlikable in this book. Since it is told entirely from her perspective, my opinion of the book did not improve as I got to know her. Things happen to Lennon, but she does not cause them. If her action has a consequence, it is usually violent, sending her into a spiral of guilt and remorse that I might have considered introspective until it happens again and again. I don’t understand why people rally around her as friends or lovers. Perhaps Lennon’s poor mental health casts a shadow over everything, but since that’s all the reader can see, I don’t feel the need to give her the benefit of the doubt.
If you liked ‘The Secret History’ by Donna Tartt, try ‘An Academy for Liars.’ It has a similar’real world’ feel of magic while delving into the characters psyche. I preferred Leigh Bardugo’s ‘The Ninth House’ and Naomi Novik’s ‘A Deadly Education.’ Although the death tolls are similar, the plot drives the story more than the characters. Henderson definitely delivers on the dark and academic aspects of the story, but I was left feeling underwhelmed by the conclusion. Rather, it is like my own university experience.
LK Richardson
September 2024
(pub: ACE/Penguin/Random House, 2024. 464 page hardback. Price: $29.00 (US). ISBN: 978-0-59363-830-9 )
check out website: www.penguin.co.uk/books/459235/an-academy-for-liars-by-henderson-alexis/9780857505552