Invention and re-invention are themes that are set deep in the American psyche and the American novel. My guest today is the American novelist JR Thornton, author of the upcoming novel “Lucien” to be published next month. It’s a tale of intrigue, set at Harvard, in the modern day, where a freshman artist is dazzled by his Euro-glamorous room-mate, and led down a tempting path of forgery and deceit. Imagine “The Secret History” by Donna Tartt, meets “The Goldfinch”, also by Donna Tartt, and you’re halfway there. In the book, JR Thornton, himself a Harvard alumnus, evokes the immense privilege that remains in certain pockets of these high-powered universities and the desperation of many outsiders to fit in. 

In our interview, JR Thorton talks about the four books that helped shape his literary path, and specifically this book, so if you’re in the market for recommendations of great books about re-invention, re-emergence and revenge, you’re in the right place!

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JR Thornton's four books:

The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas (1844)

The Great Gatsby (1925)

Brideshead Revisited (1945)

The Bell Jar (1963)