So, Alice Degan's "From All False Doctrine". Set in Toronto in the 1920s, it's surprisingly difficult to categorize. There's an obvious romance aspect: we follow four people, who organize themselves into two couples early on. Harriet, a heiress, and Elsa, a farmer's daughter and an atheist, are university students and friends; Peachy, a chaotic musician and composer, and Kit, a priest, are brothers and friends.
(1/n)
Despite their differences, they hit it off after a random encounter at the beach, but marriage seems unlikely for various reasons.
Then there's a "dark academia" and occult aspect: Elsa, a classicist, works with an ancient manuscript and there's not only academic intrigue around it, but also an occult group working it. Peachy also gets involved, and goes missing.
And then the whole things goes unexpected places.
(2/n)
There's a ton of witty dialogue and friendly banter, there are rather deep thoughts about religion and parenting, there are great supporting characters, there are timeless observations about navigating patriarchy as a woman. I liked that very much, but feel that the religious themes might put some people off. The pacing also is slightly weird, with not much except people talking happening punctuated by short action scenes.
(3/n)
But the writing is so good it worked for me anyway. A delightful read - a bit like Umberto Eco's "Foucault's Pendulum", but with more female characters and Christianity. It made me laugh, and think, and want to spend more time with those characters.
Thank you, @irina, for this recommendation!
(4/n, n=4)
@irina I also thought about "Gaudy Night"! But it's too long since I've read it (I think it was my mother's copy) and I don't remember much except the setting.
And yes, it felt very modern. I kept thinking about why the author chose the 1920s setting and not a contemporary one. I think almost everything except the focus on marriage and the fact that Elsa's atheism is remarkable would work just as well.
Jules
Irina