Harvard University, 1995: Selin, the daughter of Turkish immigrants, steps into the storied halls of academia, buoyed by the freshness of youth and the promise of self-discovery. Her journey at Harvard, ostensibly for literature and languages, diverges swiftly as she forges new pathways of intellectual pursuits and relationships. Thrust into the ethereal complexity of first love through her correspondences with Ivan, a Hungarian mathematics student, Selin navigates the paradoxes of language, the quirks of cross-cultural interactions, and the perplexities of adult life. 'The Idiot' unveils Selin's inner odyssey as she maps the unpredictable topography of the heart, charting her artistic awakening against the backdrop of academia's rigid structures and her hitherto unexplored heritage. Elif Batuman weaves a resplendent tapestry of cerebral humor, voracious wit, and tender introspection, offering a glimpse into the poignant tumult of coming of age in a world as mesmerizing as it is disconcerting.