We head to the University of Cambridge for the third episode of the season with the literary thriller, Alex Michaelides’ ‘The Maidens’.

This book has been all over the internet since it’s release last summer and with the mixed reviews and tag of being a ‘dark academia literary thriller’, we had to slide it into the lineup for this season of ‘The Dark Academicals’.

‘The Maidens’ takes us to Cambridge when the recently widowed therapist Mariana is called to the aid of her niece, Zoe, following the murder of Zoe’s best friend. Mariana quickly becomes embroiled in the investigation and is determined to prove that Zoe’s charismatic Greek tragedy professor, Edward Fosca, is the culprit.

Will it be a yay or nay for us? And is it dark academia?

In this episode we discuss:

• The male gaze versus the female gaze

• Michaelides’ poor portrayal of mental illness and Mariana’s failure in her duty of care to her patients

• The parallels of Julian and Henry in ‘The Maidens’ with Julian and Henry in ‘The Secret History’

You can listen to it here:

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TEXTS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

• ‘The Maidens’ by Alex Michaelides

• ‘In Memoriam’ by Alfred Lord Tennyson

• ‘Iphegenia at Aulis’ by Euripides

• ‘The Secret History’ by Donna Tartt

• ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ by Oscar Wilde

If you want a copy of ‘The Maidens for your own, you can purchase one through the link below. We’re affiliated with bookshop.org who support local booksellers, and in turn buying through them supports us too!