Lucien: A Novel

by J.R. Thornton

A gifted yet financially disadvantaged artist falls victim to the manipulative control of his wealthy, enigmatic Harvard roommate in this incendiary novel from the author of Beautiful Country—a piercing exploration of class, ambition, identity, and the perilous cost of reinvention in the tradition of Patricia Highsmith and Donna Tartt.

The son of working-class Czech immigrants, Christopher “Atlas” Novotny is a talented painter who arrives at Harvard on a full scholarship. Raised amid hardship, he is unprepared for the privileged world introduced to him by his freshman roommate, Lucien Orsini-Conti.

Born to wealthy European diplomats, Lucien plays the part of the confident, sophisticated bon vivant. Where Lucien is bold and brash, Atlas is timid and introverted. Growing up a lonely outsider, Atlas is insecure, impressionable, and in awe of his brilliant roommate. But is Lucien all that he seems?

Sensing a willing disciple, Lucien introduces Atlas to a glittering new world of lavish parties and elite social clubs. When Atlas struggles to afford his new lifestyle, Lucien offers a solution, convincing the naïve artist to become a forger, passing off fakes to galleries and dealers.

But Lucien’s charismatic facade conceals something darker and more sinister. As Lucien’s behavior grows increasingly unstable, Atlas is forced into escalating risks with devastating consequences.

Drawing inspiration from the true crime stories of Christian Gerhartsreiter (a.k.a. “Clark Rockefeller”) and Adam Wheeler, Lucien is as darkly seductive and addictively readable as The Secret History, The Incendiaries, Creation Lake, and The Talented Mr. Ripley.

Genres: Dark Academia, Thriller, Mystery, Fiction

320 pages, Paperback

Expected publication March 17, 2026

About the author

J.R. Thornton graduated from Harvard College and later earned an MA from Tsinghua University in Beijing. He is the author of two novels: Beautiful Country, and Lucien. He lives in Italy working for AC Milan.

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC for review. To be published March 17, 2026.

4 stars

Atlas/Christopher is a “child prodigy” artist, his parents are first generation Czech immigrants and he is an incoming freshman at Harvard. His family has little money and he attended a public school so he feels out of his depth, especially when he meets his roommate Lucien, who is rich, connected and knows just how much o fit in. However, Lucien is willing to help Atlas and shows him a world of private clubs, debutante balls and fancy parties…then shows him how he, too, can have access to those things. Atlas gives in, then resists, then things start to spiral.

Oh, Lord, the trials and tribulations of the haves and have nots at Harvard. We have so many novels about these young people and they just keep coming. The haves are mostly the asses that you would expect them to be and their siren song is sweet; it’s easy to see how our hero gets caught up in it all (just like always.). This was a well done book, though that I liked quite a lot; both the primary and secondary characters are done well here so that adds some new life to this well-trod ground.

[cyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review. This book was so so good. If you enjoyed the movie saltburn you need to add this to your tbr. This would make such a perfect movie I could watch the entire thing in my head while I was reading. I definitely am partial to books that kind of have that toxic college dark academia setting but this book did it without feeling like a copy paste of so many other books in the genre. The main characters naivety was a bit annoying at times but it wasn’t because of the writing it was more so like when your watching a horror movie yelling at the characters on screen to just look behind them. Like watching a train wreck about to happen. I loved this so so much and I can’t wait for everyone to get to read it.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

First thank you NetGalley for approving my request for this book! I am really glad you did! Lucien was an exceptional book from start to finish.

Christopher / Atlas is an extremely talented painter who makes his way from lower middle class to Harvard on a scholarship. He’s quiet and shy, not sure of himself and thinks he doesn’t belong because he doesn’t come from money.

His room mate is Lucien, the complete opposite of him. He is loud and determined to make something of himself and already belongs because he is wealthy.

Lucien and Christopher aka Atlas build up a friendship one that Christopher desperately wants to have because he wants to belong but the longer Christopher is friends with Lucien, the more trouble and well .. issues start happening.


This was a really good read and it’s going to be added to my “must have on my shelves list”

[Leighann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lucien by J.R. Thornton will be published on March 17, 2026 in the United States.
Lucien feels like a psychological thriller with a hint of dark academia and a deep dive into the world of art forgery.

Christopher Novotny comes from humble beginnings. His parents are Czech immigrants to America, but after his dad passes away, he spends most of his life with his mother as a single parent. Early on, Chris shows artistic promise, and painter and soon-to-be mentor named Marcus helps Chris develop into a painting prodigy. While some of Chris’ paintings sell as a teen, the dealings of a shady art dealer leave Chris and his mom without much to show for them. Marcus, a fellow painter and his mentor, helps Chris get into Harvard, and a fresh start and golden opportunities seem possible.

Art Prodigy Goes to Harvard
At first, Chris is intimidated by the other students at Harvard, yet he is determined to stay focused on his art and goals. Yet his new roommate Lucien, a charming, manipulative, and suave student of potentially, vaguely European origins, draws Chris into the fast life of parties, drugs, and exclusive clubs at Harvard. Lucien is unnerving but charismatic; he convinces Chris to go by a new name, “Atlas,” to seem more interesting the first day they meet. As time passes, the stories and lies surrounding Lucien begin to swirl and Lucien becomes more and more erratic and unstable. Their lives intertwine and unravel, but readers can’t look away. The pacing was fast and the characters were fascinating.

What’s a little art forgery between friends?
Chris is drawn into a new way of life, almost losing the trust of his mom, Marcus, and his love interest, Harriet, as he follows Lucien into the depths of shady art forgery dealings. One or two harmless art forgeries to make pocket money seem like no big deal, until the stakes get higher and Lucien becomes unstable and even dangerous.

My Thoughts
Throughout the book, I could see why Chris was tempted to join the rich kids who seem like they are living the dream; it was almost sad how much he wanted to fit in. I was also very interested in the process of art forgery. The novel shared some stories of real art forgers and the methods used to do things like age canvases, forge documents, choose appropriate paint colors, and trick appraisers and auction houses. If you like art history and true crime blended with a psychological thriller, you should add Lucien to your TBR.

If you liked…
Comparisons to The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith and The Secret History by Donna Tartt are not unfounded; I found the vibes similar, if not the plots…While reading Lucien I Had the same uneasy feeling but fascination to know more that I felt while reading those other novels.
Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Perennial for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Secret History meets A History of Fear in this intriguing thriller about an unusual friendship and art forgery gone awry!

Despite being an art prodigy, when Christopher (aka Atlas) arrives at Harvard for his freshman year, he can't help but feel out of place. Luckily his roommate, the charming, enigmatic Lucien Orsini is there to get him outside his comfort zone and pull him into fray of Harvard elites, glamorous parties, and exclusive clubs. When Lucien sees Atlas's potential as an art forger, the two get tangled up in a scheme that may put Atlas's future and Lucien's secrets at risk.

This is a fun time! I've read a lot of books along these lines because close/codependent friendships + dark academia + plans that go a little too far is like a perfect recipe for a compelling story. I wouldn't say this book is wildly different from the others that I've read, but it's got a great balance of plot momentum, character-interiority, and tension to make it a stand out. Something like this can easily get convoluted and pretentious, and you can easily end up hating the protagonist for making stupid decisions, but Thornton does a good job keeping the writing straightforward and giving us enough time in Atlas's head to understand the choices he makes but not so much that his anxiety becomes repetitive or grating. The ending isn't some earth-shattering twist, but it's unexpected enough to be satisfying. If I had to complain about one thing, I just think that Atlas and Lucien's friendship could have been a little more intense, a little more codependent and toxic and...frankly, gayer. I kind of thought that this was going to be a queer book and I'm surprised how much I liked it considering it isn't, but a little homoeroticism would do this book wonders!

The weird dynamics of exclusive institutions like Harvard and the cannibalistic ecosystem that is the art world will always be interesting realms for fiction, and I think Lucien will give you everything you want in a perfect little package.

Thank you to J. R. Thornton and Harper Perennial for this ARC in exchange for my full, honest review!

Happy reading!

[Kaleigh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lucien is set at Harvard in the 2000s and it has all the aesthetics of a dark academia novel but really what it is at its heart is a crime/heist novel. I would liken this less to The Secret History or Saltburn and more to American Animals or even The Social Network. It is not at all a yearny homoerotic and darkly mysterious academia litfic so do NOT go into it thinking it is like I did!! It is straightforwardly a crime novel whose cast is made up of Harvard undergrads.

It is mostly my mistake for only picking up on the things I liked in the description and ignoring everything else (it literally does say it’s based on true crime fraud stories) but with that cover and title, name-dropping Patricia Highsmith, and calling it “darkly seductive,” can you really blame me for expecting something else?

My expectations aside, Lucien was also just not great for me. It was dialogue heavy and I didn’t find the dialogue to be convincing, mostly annoying. There are so many silly and irrelevant conversations that the friends have (e.g., there’s an entire page where a group discusses building a hypothetical puppy-rental app; they say things like “ten points gryffindor” and “is it mooses or meeses?” and “talk about nerd alert!” etc. just complete banality) and I ended up skipping ahead when I saw pages and pages of dialogue (and didn’t lose anything for it plotwise). And although it’s set in first person, I still didn’t feel close enough to Christopher to really care about what was happening to him—it’s told kind of like a play-by-play of “here’s this weird scheme I got mixed up in in undergrad, still not really sure how that happened” which is kind of interesting, but I wish it had been more of a yarn ykwim?

You will probably like this if you love those Netflix documentaries about con artists, or the ins and outs of the ivy league and university secret societies, and actually it kind of even reminded me of Richard Linklater’s Blue Moon.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for the arc.

[Bonnie Brody · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book frustrating. It had the characteristics of a page -turner in that it was an easy read but, ultimately, the characterizations were weak and disappointing.

Chris is the son of a poor, widowed Czech immigrant who finds himself at Harvard on a scholarship. He is an art prodigy and is able to copy paintings of the masters with precision. His initial goal is to hone his skills and develop his own style but this doesn't last all that long.

Lucien is his Harvard roommate and he immediately decides that Chris is a boring name. He decides to rename Chris ''Atlas'. Lucien is a charismatic charmer, filled with self-importance and narcissism. He is rich and daring but his intentions are less than sincere. Atlas finds himself falling for Lucien's charm and, as he tries to keep up with him socially and financially, he loses his own north star. Lucien runs in rich circles and encourages Atlas to join him. At first, Atlas finds himself enjoying the high life but shortly finds out that this lifestyle comes with a high price.

Lucien comes up with a scheme to get them both some money - have Atlas paint copies of originals by semi-famous artists and pass them off as genuine. Even though this goes against Atlas's conscience, he is tempted. What will he do?

The characters are shallow and lack depth. The novel's pace moved along but it was difficult to get excited about it because it was rather boring.

Thank you to Harper Perennial and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced review copy of Lucien.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story takes place at college. Atlas is trying to find his place here and Lucien helps him out with this. Lucien and Atlas take on the school’s social life. They go to exclusive college parties and engage with the initiation process into certain clubs. Lucien comes from a wealthy family and is used to this type of lifestyle. Atlas has to work hard to be accepted into this type of lifestyle. Atlas doesn’t let people know this and gives off the sense that he belongs there. Atlas is a talented artist. Soon, Lucien creates a plan that will take advantage of his skills. They throw around the idea of creating art forgeries. Lucien believes this can be a way for Atlas to get a chunk of money to become involved in the school’s social life. Lucien thinks that this money will relieve some of Atlas’s stress about the financial side of things.
As the story progresses, we get to see how far these 2 students are willing to push things. Will Atlas be able to sell a forgery or will the risks put a halt to everything?
This story is a thrilling and intense book. It is full of some surprising situations as Lucien and Atlas often struggle to reach an agreement. I found myself completely drawn into the events and couldn’t wait to see how everything would turn out. I really liked how unique this whole story was. It was unlike anything that I’ve read before.

[Jon Clarry]

Lucien is a chilling, beautifully controlled novel that explores the intoxicating pull of wealth, power, and reinvention and the devastating cost of surrendering one’s moral compass. J.R. Thornton delivers an incisive portrait of class, ambition, and manipulation that feels both timeless and unnervingly contemporary.

Through Atlas Novotny’s vulnerable, observant perspective, the novel captures the psychological imbalance between privilege and aspiration with startling precision. Lucien Orsini-Conti is a mesmerizing creation: charismatic, cultivated, and quietly dangerous. Their relationship unfolds like a slow poison, seductive, incremental, and ultimately corrosive.

What sets Lucien apart is its psychological depth. Thornton resists sensationalism, instead allowing tension to build through character and atmosphere. The art world backdrop and the theme of forgery serve as potent metaphors for identity itself, who we pretend to be, and what we’re willing to counterfeit in order to belong.

Haunting, provocative, and exquisitely paced, Lucien stands confidently alongside modern classics of moral obsession. A gripping examination of influence, desire, and self-betrayal, this is literary suspense at its most refined.

[Al · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I first read the official description, I focused mostly on the issue of art forgery. While that is a major part of the story, it’s really more about a young artist from an economically disadvantaged background who goes to Harvard and just wants to fit in. His roommate, Lucien, is gregarious and charismatic, and he wants to emulate him. There were times when I couldn’t believe he would go along with Lucien’s requests and had to keep reminding myself that he was a naive, impressionable young man.

The story reaches a climactic point but then jumps ahead in time and ends with more of a whimper than a bang. There are too many unanswered questions about the time gap, and the pat ending left me wanting more.

This book has been compared to the work of Patricia Highsmith and Donna Tartt. While I can understand the comparison, the works by those authors are far more sophisticated.

Thank you to Harper Perennial and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Eileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Lucien” is a psychological novel that delves into hardship, manipulation, and the complexities of college life. Its protagonist, Christopher, is an artist studying at Harvard on a full scholarship, where he meets his enigmatic roommate, Lucien. Over time, Lucien draws Christopher into increasingly risky and illegal activities, reshaping Christopher’s worldview. While the beginning unfolds at a measured pace, the story ultimately accelerates and delivers a powerful ending. From the very beginning, I distrusted Lucien and hoped Christopher would break free of his influence. I give the Book 5/5 Stars.

Disclaimer: I received a free ARC from the publisher for my honest review, and I was not compensated for my review.

[Ellen Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so consumed by this book and it is going to stick with me for a long time. When I first started it reminded me of the movie Saltburn. Lucien’s character is so addicting and impressive but I felt uneasy so I began to worry how much Atlas got himself involved with his new roommate at school. The art is a fascinating part of this book. The plot evolves quickly but in a slow burn way where the anticipation keeps building and you know something’s going to burst but you aren’t sure how or when. This is a book I’m going to read over and over. The scandal, the deception, all of it was so eddicting. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Janine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love vile characters at times. These characters are among the ones you love to hate but find yourself in thrall to. Such is Lucien Orsini-Conti - he’s smooth, so so confident, rich and so amoral.

Chris “Atlas” Novotny comes from immigrant parents. He’s poor, unslick, decent and incredibly talented artistically - he’s also Lucien’s roommate at Harvard. Lucien introduces “Atlas” (Lucien thinks Chris is a boring name and so dubs Chris with this nickname) to the glitzy side Harvard. Along the way, Chris finds himself in need of money and Lucien engineers an illegal plot - don’t want to give the essence of the story away: it’s so good.

This is a great literary thriller - I read in one day! Lucien is a deliciously crafted character and Chris is a guy you pull for.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper for allowing me to read this ARC.

[Jarrod Fenwick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to like this so much more!! Dark-academia is a weakness of mine. With a mix of The Goldfinch and Secret History but without the brilliance of Donna Tartt.

This main character was extremely frustrating. Time and time again he let Lucien lie, betray, steal, whatever, and he kept coming back! Neville Longbottom had more of a backbone!

[Claire Askew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this! A heady delight, hard to put down. Some parts felt rushed to me, but if you love stories of an isolated outsider being taken under the wing of a charismatic insider and perhaps biting off more than they can chew, this is for you!

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

oh this was so good. I want to do a lot of comparisons between this and other books, movies etc, but I do not want to give a single thing away. I can 100% see this being made into a movie or a show!
thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

[Erin McLaughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Edelweiss for the ARC!

I was drawn in by the premise for this book, as a big fan of The Secret History and other "dark academia" books, the premise combined with art really grabbed my attention. I thought the pacing was well thought out and done, I just wish the text had a little more nuance and flavor to the writing. At certain points it felt very much like declaring each action or motivation, rather than describing it.

[Morgan Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up for no other reason than the author graduated college the same year I did. I'm also reluctant to read contemporary American literature. I find most of it dull. But this completely surprised me. It was riveting from page one. The bookstore where I work was sent this in a box of ARC's and I read about 60 pages that day. I would go through periods where I would start and stop the book but I enjoyed it very much. The main character Christopher is drawn into some illegal activities because of his roommate Lucien who the book is named after. The blurb on the back references, if I remember correctly, "The Talented Mr. Ripley" and if you know that story you have some idea of where this story will be going. Is that who Lucien is supposed to be? I feel like that shows the strength of the story. Even though I had an idea what would happen I had to know what was going to happen in this story. How was all this going to come together? And I have to say it worked well. In hindsight I don't know if the endings as strong as it could have been but as I was reading it, it felt like the author was able to keep the momentum going.

[Remi]

this one just sounds so aesthetic! i'm hoping to get a glance behind tom ripley's academic era.

*thank you to Harper Perennial for the ARC*