After all, none of the goings on in this novel would ever happen on a real campus. Any resemblance to actual persons, events, or places is purely coincidental. Suffice to say, characters, events, and locations in this novel are fictitious. This novel is even more humorous than Tom Wolfe’s I Am Charlotte Simmons, and while more esteemed critics than I will doubtless give higher marks to Robertson Davies’ The Rebel Angels or Bernard Malamud’s A New Life, reading Campusland is a heck of a lot more fun. It is a joy for those of us who appreciate a good laugh to read this hilarious romp of a novel, set at fictional Ivy League Devon University, a postmodern “progressive” campus committed to “social justice” (what campus isn’t these days?) and situated in the aesthetically pleasing New England community of Havenport. Consider yourself warned, my learned friends. Good on Kirkus, though, for stating “trigger warning”. By extension, this same warning must apply to this review. Let’s be more expansive (and inclusive!) and add that the politically correct and easily offended must avoid it at all costs. “Trigger warning”: Scott Johnston’s satirical novel Campusland “should not be read by those who lack a sense of humour” ( Kirkus Reviews). Scott Johnston, Campusland, St Martin’s Press, New York, 2019 (Hardcover, 322 pages). Any Resemblance is Purely Coincidental: A Review of Campusland
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