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Naked Came the Post-Postmodernist: A Mystery
Who killed Eric Davenport? A senior mathematics professor at Underhill College has been found dead in his office, the victim of murder. At Underhill, a small liberal arts college with a pricy tuition and a pampered student body, all of the students are close to their professors. But at least one loved Eric Davenport in a deeply inappropriate fashion. Some hated him. And then there is the faculty at war with itself. And the idiotic administration. And the twin boys who live next to campus. And what’s with all those praying mantises?
The collective work of Sarah Lawrence writing class 3303 - R, taught by novelist Melvin Jules Bukiet, here is a send-up of contemporary campus life that is also the latest installment in an inglorious literary tradition of wacky fun. And the mayhem hasn’t stopped. Soon, a student is found dead in the library, and, from the quad to the dorms, crime scenes and crises begin to multiply. A wealthy alumni donor becomes alarmed. Enter a libidinous medical examiner. Depicting rampant insecurities and raging egos, and with a cast of characters from conflicted faculty to student cliques, from hemp kids to Ugg girls and the J Crew crew, Naked Came the Post-Postmodernist takes us on a journey some may find eerily familiar. . . .
Already featured in the New York Times (“A Whodunit Committed by a Whole Classroom”), this first example of collegiate episodic experimental fiction is certain to draw wide attention on publication.
The collective work of Sarah Lawrence writing class 3303 - R, taught by novelist Melvin Jules Bukiet, here is a send-up of contemporary campus life that is also the latest installment in an inglorious literary tradition of wacky fun. And the mayhem hasn’t stopped. Soon, a student is found dead in the library, and, from the quad to the dorms, crime scenes and crises begin to multiply. A wealthy alumni donor becomes alarmed. Enter a libidinous medical examiner. Depicting rampant insecurities and raging egos, and with a cast of characters from conflicted faculty to student cliques, from hemp kids to Ugg girls and the J Crew crew, Naked Came the Post-Postmodernist takes us on a journey some may find eerily familiar. . . .
Already featured in the New York Times (“A Whodunit Committed by a Whole Classroom”), this first example of collegiate episodic experimental fiction is certain to draw wide attention on publication.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published November 6, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 8, 2026
it did not feel like a continuous style, but the sarcastic tone was a good addition, and some funny details.
January 6, 2014
Who murdered professor Eric Davenport? That’s the question Detective Harsley attempts to answer in this murder/mystery/satire on campus life by Melvin Jules Bukiet’s 13 Sarah Lawrence College writing workshop students.
Was it Davenport’s student and lover, Grace Montoya? Was it someone else in the faculty? The administration? His gorgeous wife and former student, Ophelia? And what is it with all the praying mantises?
The Columbo-esque figure of Harsley, gristled and smoking constantly, navigates the student cliques at Underhill College, its faculty and administration, and its outliers, like the obsessive-compulsive student, Ben, whose pet mantis may hold the key, and Davenport’s high-school chess protégé, Mike, who holds some of Davenport’s papers for safe-keeping. When Grace turns up dead, more questions arise. Was her jealous mantis-raising roommate Imogen the culprit? Or was it an accident?
Each student in Bukiet’s class contributed at least a chapter to the book as a whole, and the plot and tone are coherent throughout. Was the book written with a plot already mapped out, or did each student build off the previous chapters? This is also part of the mystery.
Whatever the case, it was a fun ride, learning about the students of Underhill College, such as black-clad gay artist, Clay, who discovers Grace’s body, as well as the left-wing feminists on the faculty and administration, Miriam Aarons, Eva Louisa Valdez, Mara Yaftali and Amanda Pike, who seem to have their own agenda for Underhill. Was Davenport killed over a disagreement between the arts and sciences? It’s a good question. Maybe just as pertinent as the division between feminists and misogynists in the two areas.
And what is with all the mantises? There’s a missing shipment of them that seems to have been overlooked. Are they hiding in the tunnels underneath the school that are being used for some kind of Gregorian musical thesis project? Can Harsley piece it all together before more people are murdered and the anemic endowment of Underhill withers away to nothing? You’ll have to read it to find out.
Was it Davenport’s student and lover, Grace Montoya? Was it someone else in the faculty? The administration? His gorgeous wife and former student, Ophelia? And what is it with all the praying mantises?
The Columbo-esque figure of Harsley, gristled and smoking constantly, navigates the student cliques at Underhill College, its faculty and administration, and its outliers, like the obsessive-compulsive student, Ben, whose pet mantis may hold the key, and Davenport’s high-school chess protégé, Mike, who holds some of Davenport’s papers for safe-keeping. When Grace turns up dead, more questions arise. Was her jealous mantis-raising roommate Imogen the culprit? Or was it an accident?
Each student in Bukiet’s class contributed at least a chapter to the book as a whole, and the plot and tone are coherent throughout. Was the book written with a plot already mapped out, or did each student build off the previous chapters? This is also part of the mystery.
Whatever the case, it was a fun ride, learning about the students of Underhill College, such as black-clad gay artist, Clay, who discovers Grace’s body, as well as the left-wing feminists on the faculty and administration, Miriam Aarons, Eva Louisa Valdez, Mara Yaftali and Amanda Pike, who seem to have their own agenda for Underhill. Was Davenport killed over a disagreement between the arts and sciences? It’s a good question. Maybe just as pertinent as the division between feminists and misogynists in the two areas.
And what is with all the mantises? There’s a missing shipment of them that seems to have been overlooked. Are they hiding in the tunnels underneath the school that are being used for some kind of Gregorian musical thesis project? Can Harsley piece it all together before more people are murdered and the anemic endowment of Underhill withers away to nothing? You’ll have to read it to find out.
June 10, 2014
13 Sarah Lawrence students come together to write a mystery novel. There was some issues with flow, and variance in the writing style that made it hard to stay fully invested at points, but for a writing class project it was enjoyable. The characters were caricatures of their roles but entertaining enough. Definitely out of the box and at times incredibly far-fetched, you'd wonder if these students were even aware they were writing the same book. The plot had plenty of twists & more "red-herring" moments than was ever necessary, but it was a fun and easy read. Great for by the pool or stuck on a plane.
April 30, 2014
This mystery is constructed of chapters written by different students in a creative writing class at Sarah Lawrence. Very clever - there is some unevenness due to the varying viewpoints of an assortment of authors. There is enjoyable skewering of the pretentiousness of undergrads and their intellectual posing and an excellent portrait of a broken down but mentally sharp police detective. A great light fun read.
January 6, 2014
13 sarah lawrence writing students come together to write a novel in the spirit of naked came the stranger. each are given their own chapter to write and it comes together in a very interesting story.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews