In The Topeka School by Ben Lerner, a star student and debater from an academic family befriends a troubled loner. When he brings his new friend to a party, a “singular act of violence” occurs. This “powerful and heartbreaking story” was deemed one of 2019’s top 10 books by the NY Times, The Washington Post, NPR, Kirkus, Vanity Fair, Esquire, The Atlantic and Buzzfeed.